Finding a Purpose
by Caskett1960
Summary: While in Atlantic City having a girls' weekend with Kate, Lanie, and Jenny, Alexis and her best friend Paige find themselves suspected of murder. My entry for the 2015 Castle Summer Ficathon. The cover art was designed and created by the incredibly talented Angie (@dtrekker on Twitter). Rated 'T,' but the rating might change.
1. Plotting and Planning

**DISCLAIMERS: 'Castle' is the property of Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC Studios. No copyright infringement is intended. The story is the property of the author and may not be archived without her consent.**

 **SUMMARY: While in Atlantic City having a girls' weekend with Kate, Lanie, and Jenny, Alexis and her best friend Paige find themselves suspected of murder. My entry for the 2015 Castle Summer Ficathon. The cover art was created by the incredibly talented Angie ( dtrekker on Twitter). Rated 'T,' but the rating might change.**

 **SETTING: Early Season 7, after 'Once Upon a Time in the West.'**

 **A/N #1: I want to thank Kelly, also known as KJ and UofMgirl on Twitter for the idea for this story. While I'm doing the actual writing, I'm giving all credit to her for supplying the idea.**

 **A/N #2: This is the first story I've written where I've made Alexis a central part of the plot. So, please be gentle with me.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 1: PLOTTING AND PLANNING**

"So, why did you want to meet for lunch?" Jenny Ryan took her seat across from Dr. Lanie Parish on a blustery day in early November.

"Girl, we're friends," Lanie scoffed. "Do we need a reason to meet for lunch?"

"No, I guess not," Jenny took a French fry and dipped it in ranch dressing. "Are you still getting over the shock of Kate and Rick getting married?"

"Yeah," Lanie sighed. "The shock and the disappointment."

"Kevin was upset, too. I told him that he should just be happy for them. It wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear."

"I was just so happy when Kate got engaged. It took her so long to come to her senses where Castle was concerned. I wanted to be there to share in their happiness."

"Maybe we still can," Jenny suggested as Lanie gave her a nod to continue. "We didn't get to throw her a bachelorette party or a shower. Maybe when her and Rick get back from Arizona, we can all go to Atlantic City and do some gambling. Maybe see a few shows."

"That's a great idea!" Lanie suddenly became very animated. "We can ask Martha and Alexis if they want to join us."

"And Capt. Gates," Jenny added.

"I doubt she'll want to come with us."

"Maybe not, but Kevin said that she wasn't happy about not being invited to the champagne celebration at the loft. So, you should ask her."

"Me? Girl, this is your idea. You ask her."

"Lanie, are you going to sit there and tell me that you're scared of Capt. Gates?"

"I never see her. You go to the precinct to see Kevin quite a bit. You can ask her then."

"All right, I'll ask," Jenny conceded. "When do we want to do this?"

"Well, we'll have to see when Kate has a weekend where she's not on call. Because it would suck to get to Atlantic City and have her get called back here because of a body drop."

"That's true. Okay, you talk to Martha and Alexis while I handle Capt. Gates. When Kate gets back, we'll set a date."

"That sounds like a plan," Lanie grinned.

***CCC***

Alexis and her best friend Paige Livingston were working on Psychology term papers in Paige's dorm room. Or they were trying to. The text alert on Paige's cell phone was going off every 30 seconds. "Paige, just ignore it," Alexis told her when Paige picked up the phone and glanced at it again.

"If I ignore Brandon, he'll just send me more messages."

"Then turn your phone off," Alexis suggested.

"Alexis, you don't get it. If I keep ignoring him, he'll just show up here and want to know why I'm not answering his texts. He'll ask me if I've been with some other guy."

"Paige, you should break up with him. I'm scared that he's going to hurt you. Doesn't it worry you that Brandon is so possessive and jealous?"

"He says it's because he loves me. He said that he loves me so much that he just can't stand the thought of me being with anyone else."

"Paige—"

"Alexis, I'm okay," Paige smiled at her best friend. "I've got it under control. Let's finish up and go get something to eat."

Alexis bit her tongue to keep from saying what she was really thinking, concentrating instead on the thick textbook in front of her. Paige had been her best friend since elementary school and they'd both been there through all kinds of travails, romantic and otherwise. But this situation was different.

Paige had met Brandon Scott at the beginning of the school year at one of the dorm meetings. They'd hit it off instantly and had been dating for almost three months. But Alexis and their other friends had noticed that Brandon was extremely possessive of Paige. He wanted to know where she was and who she was with every single second. And when he wasn't right by her side, he was either calling her or texting her. Even Paige had admitted that texting her upwards of 100 times a day was excessive. But when she complained, Brandon was always apologetic, telling her that he just loved her so much that he couldn't bear not to be in constant contact.

"Alexis, I'm sorry," Paige finally broke the silence. "I know that you don't like Brandon—"

"Paige, it doesn't have anything to do with how I feel about Brandon. He's not my boyfriend. But you're one of my best friends and I don't want to see you hurt."

"Alexis, I've got it under control. Wow," she shook her head, "since your dad started working with the police, you worry about everything."

Alexis was about to say something when Paige's cell alerted again. "I'm going to let you answer him and see what he wants," she began to pack up her books and her laptop. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Alexis—"

"It's okay. Call me later if you can talk. Tell Brandon that I said hi."

Alexis left the dorm and walked across campus to hail a cab home. She was looking toward the ground when she heard someone calling her name. "Alexis!"

She turned to find Brandon striding toward her. "Paige is alone, Brandon. We were trying to work on a paper. We probably could've finished it if you'd stop texting her for two seconds and let her get some work done."

"You're just jealous of mine and Paige's relationship," the young man looked her in the eye.

"Right," Alexis stood her ground. "Keep telling yourself that. I have to go." She turned to go when she felt Brandon's ironclad grip on her upper arm. "Brandon, let me go or I swear they're going to have to surgically remove your testicles from your abdomen."

"Listen, you little bitch," he closed the gap between them; "if you know what's good for you, mind your own fucking business."

"Take your hand off of me, Brandon," Alexis hissed through clenched teeth.

After about 30 seconds, Brandon finally released Alexis, who turned and quickly ran from him as fast as she could. Her heart was pounding in her chest when she hailed a taxi and jumped into the backseat, giving the driver the address of the loft. She took several deep, calming breaths, staring out the window at the traffic. She was more angry than hurt, but she knew that somehow she had to convince Paige that she needed to dump Brandon. What had just happened on the quad proved it.

Martha was sitting on the sofa drinking a glass of wine when Alexis walked into the loft 15 minutes later. "Hey, kiddo," her grandmother called out a greeting. "Your father called! He said that he and Kate will be home early tomorrow evening."

"That's good," Alexis answered in a subdued voice, walking into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge."

"Sweetie, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Alexis walked back into the room just as her cell phone rang. She pulled it out, frowning when she saw the caller id. "Dr. Parish?"

"Alexis, how many times have I asked you to call me Lanie?"

"I'm sorry," Alexis headed for the stairs. "It's just been a long day. Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I had lunch with Jenny Ryan today and we were thinking of maybe getting together for a girls weekend after your dad and Kate get back from their trip. It would be great if you and Martha could join us. Please say yes, Alexis!"

"It actually sounds like fun."

"Girl, if this is how sound when you're excited to have fun, I'd hate to hear how you sound when someone dies. What's going on?"

"It's nothing—"

"Alexis Castle, I've known you since you were a freshman in high school. You know that you can talk to me or Kate about anything. How about we meet for dinner or lunch tomorrow?"

"Dinner actually sounds great, Lanie. I'll talk to Grams about the girls' weekend. How about Luigi's at seven?"

"I'll see you there. Bye, sweetie."

"Bye, Lanie," Alexis hit the 'end' button on her phone before going downstairs. "Grams, I'm going to meet Dr. Parish at Luigi's at seven. You're welcome to come if you want. I know that Dr. Parish wouldn't mind."

"That's all right, sweetie, but I have lesson plans and stuff for class tomorrow."

"She said that she and Jenny Ryan want to plan a girl's weekend when dad and Kate get back. I guess as a way to celebrate the wedding since she didn't actually get to _be_ in the wedding. She'd like for all of us to go."

"That sounds like a lot of fun. Tell Lanie to let me know where and when."

"Okay."

"Now, do you want to talk about what has you so down in the dumps?"

"I'm just worried about a friend," Alexis sat beside her grandmother.

"I'm sure that everything will work out," Martha squeezed her granddaughter's hand.

"I hope so," Alexis kissed Martha's cheek. "I'm going to take a shower and get dressed to meet Dr. Parish . . . Lanie."

***CCC***

When Alexis walked into the small Italian restaurant, Lanie was already at a table waiting for her with a glass of water in front of her. "Hi, sweetie," Lanie stood up and embraced Alexis. "I haven't ordered yet, except for the bread sticks," she nodded toward a wicker basket of warm, freshly baked bread sticks in the middle of the table.

"So, where did you want to go for this girl's weekend?" Alexis asked, sitting down and giving her drink order to their waiter, waiting for Lanie to do the same.

"Jenny and I were thinking about Atlantic City. We could gamble and maybe see a couple of shows. Do you think Kate would be okay with that?"

"I don't know. You've known her longer than I have. But it sounds like fun. I just wonder if my dad will be so willing to let her out of his sight for a weekend away," Alexis couldn't help smiling.

"Oh, I'm sure Kate can convince Castle that she'll be just fine."

"They'll be back tomorrow evening. My dad sent me a text, but I was studying with Paige and missed it," Alexis stared down at the napkin in front of her.

"What's on your mind, Little Castle?" Lanie asked, calling Alexis by the nickname that Kate and the boys sometimes called her.

Alexis was about to answer when the waiter returned with their drinks. "Are you ladies ready to order?" He asked, his order pad and pen poised for action.

"Could we start with the antipasto?" Lanie asked as he nodded and wrote their order down.

"Excellent choice. I'll get that started for you," he turned and walked off.

"What do you do when you think that a friend is making a mess of their life?"

"A boyfriend mess or another kind of mess?"

"A boyfriend mess. My friend Paige has been seeing this guy for a few months. But when she's not with him, he's constantly texting her or calling her."

"Alexis, define 'constantly.'"

"We were working on a paper this afternoon in her dorm room. He must've texted her 15 or 20 times in the hour or so that I was there."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?"

"Yes. She tells me that he's like that because he loves her and can't stand to be away from her. Lanie, I've watched enough 'Dr. Phil' shows and I've read enough books to know that this guy might be trouble. Am I wrong to be so worried?"

"You said that she's only been dating him for a few months. Do you remember how it was when you were with Ashley? Those early days when you wanted to talk to him or he wanted to talk to you every single second when you weren't together. It's possible that's all this is with Paige and her new man. But, if you're right and it's not, I'm sorry to say that except for offering your opinion, there really isn't much that you can do."

"I'm worried about her, Lanie."

"I know, and that's what makes you a great friend. If you weren't such a good friend, then you wouldn't even tell Paige what you're thinking. Paige is smart. If he's wrong for her, hopefully she'll figure it out before it's too late. Maybe you should invite her along on our girls' weekend to get her away from her boyfriend for a couple of days."

"Lanie, that's a great idea," Alexis visibly brightened up as the waiter brought their appetizer over.

"Kate raves about the lasagna. Is it as good as she claims?"

"It's wonderful. It's also huge, so if you want, we can split it."

"Sounds good. We'll have the lasagna and the house salad," Lanie told the waiter.

***CCC***

Alexis was up in her room late the next afternoon when she heard the door open and close. She closed the lid on her laptop and ran down the stairs, into the waiting arms of her father. "Dad! I missed you! Did you have a good time?" She moved from him to hug Kate, who was standing by his side.

"We had a great time! Where's your grandmother?" Rick looked around for the other familiar redhead.

"She had stuff to take care of at the school. She should be home soon. Kate, when you get a second, I need to talk to you."

"O-kay," Kate said, looking at Rick, who simply shrugged.

"I'm going to take our bags to the bedroom," he leaned over and kissed her.

"Have you talked to Lanie?" Alexis took Kate's hand and practically dragged her upstairs to her bedroom, where she shut the door behind them.

"No, I haven't talked to anybody. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Lanie and Jenny want to take you away to Atlantic City for a girls' weekend. The two of them, me, and my friend Paige. I asked Gram this morning, but she begged off. Please say you'll let them do this, Kate!" Alexis begged as Kate bit back a smile.

"On one condition."

"What?"

"Did Lanie say that I owe her for your dad and I getting married at the last minute? The truth, Alexis," Kate warned her.

"Well, not exactly in those words, but I think that's how she feels."

"I'll talk to Lanie tomorrow. I know I'm on call this weekend, but the first weekend that I'm free, we'll go. Now I have to break the news to your dad."

"Thanks, Kate. Welcome home," Alexis hugged her once again. "Thank you for making my dad so happy."

"You're welcome," Kate pulled away and brushed Alexis' hair off of her shoulder. "And for the record, your dad has made me very happy, too." Alexis' phone vibrated on top of her bed. "I'm going to let you get that. I'm sure it's probably Paige or Taylor."

"Yeah, it's Paige."

"Tell her that I said 'hi.' I'll see you downstairs in a few minutes."

"Okay," Alexis waited until Kate left the room before answering the phone. "Hey, Paige?"

"Alexis, what did you say to Brandon?"

"What're you talking about?" Alexis sat on the edge of her bed.

"He doesn't want us to be friends anymore. He said that you told him that you hated him. He said that he saw you yesterday and you told him that."

"Paige, that's not what I said. I told him that we would've got a lot more work done on our papers if he wasn't texting you every five seconds."

"He's right. You _are_ jealous of him and me."

"Paige, can we please talk about this tomorrow? There's something that I need to ask you, anyway. My dad and Kate just got home. I want to spend some time with them and hear about their trip."

"All right. But I can't believe that you're jealous."

"Paige, that's _so_ not the issue. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Alexis sighed as she hung up her phone. How did you convince your best friend that her boyfriend was bad news? She wondered why some relationships didn't come with flashing warning signs.

 **A/N #3: I have never taken so long to bring Kate and Rick into the story. This story will start slowly, but it will slowly build up momentum.**

 **Follow me:**

 **Twitter: at Caskett1960**

 **Tumblr: Caskett1960**

 **Facebook: Cindy Wylie (RkieFan1960 at AOL dot com). My profile picture is a clock with 'Obsessive Castle Disorder' written on it. If you send me a friend request, just put 'Castle' or 'Fan Fiction' in a message so I know to add you.**


	2. A Friend in Trouble

**DISCLAIMERS: The only thing 'Castle' that I own are the first five seasons on DVD, the TV, and the DVD player on which I watch them obsessively. Oh, and the 'Nikki Heat' books.**

 **SUMMARY: The girls begin planning their getaway while Alexis tries to wake Paige up to the reality of her relationship with Brandon.**

 **A/N #1: My Unmuse Chuck's brother is a retired San Antonio homicide detective. He has agreed to help me out with certain aspects of this story in return for me naming a character after him. Sort of a 'Secret's Safe with Me' kind of a deal. His character won't be making an appearance until the next chapter.**

 **A/N #2: Again, a huge shout-out to Kelly for the story idea and to Chuck and Gina for checking for errors and giving me motivation when I need it. And I got her Twitter name wrong in the first chapter. It's Uofmcowgirl on Twitter. Sorry, Kelly!**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 2: A FRIEND IN TROUBLE**

"What was so important that Alexis had to drag you upstairs moments after we arrived home?" Castle climbed under the covers and spooned himself around Kate, feeling her wriggle against him.

"The girls want to take me to Atlantic City," she murmured sleepily.

"The girls? What girls?"

"Lanie, Jenny, and Alexis."

"Why are they taking you to Atlantic City? What about me?" Kate smiled, she could see his disappointed face with her back to him and her eyes closed.

"The last time I checked, Castle, you weren't a girl. Lanie wants to celebrate the fact that I got married. I guess she was more upset about our impromptu ceremony than she's let on."

"But Kate, _we_ got married. Both of us. You and me."

Kate rolled over so that she was facing him. "I know, babe. But a girls' weekend means just that. Girls. No boys allowed. I'll tell you what," she propped herself up on her elbow. "Why don't you see if the boys want to get together for a poker weekend? If they can't, then call your writer buddies. I'm sure they'd love to get together."

"We just got married and you're already planning things without me."

"Rick," she brushed her thumb along the lines under his eyes, "I'm not abandoning you. When we get back, I'll be all yours. Besides, you just _had_ me for four straight days in Arizona. Aren't you tired of me, yet?"

"Never," he bent down and softly kissed her. "I will never be tired of you."

"Good. Go to sleep," she kissed him again before pushing him down and resting her head on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The next morning, Kate walked out of their bedroom, surprised to find Alexis already up and about. "Hey, Alexis," Kate went to fix coffee for herself and Castle. "You're up early."

"I couldn't sleep."

"Are you all right?" Kate stepped around and took a seat on the stool beside the young redhead.

"I'm fine. I'm worried about Paige. She's going with this guy who's a total jerk, but she's too blind to see it. I just want to shake her until she wakes up and comes to her senses."

"Alexis, it's hard when your friend is with someone that you think is wrong for them. But the person in the relationship doesn't see what everybody else sees. Can I ask you why you think this guy is bad news? Is he abusive to her?"

"I don't think so. At least I haven't seen any evidence of that. But he's constantly texting her to ask her what she's doing and who she's with. Do you remember when she called last night?" Kate nodded. "She told me that Brandon told her that I hate him."

"Did you have a confrontation with him?"

"Sort of," Alexis told Kate what had happened on the quad the day before. She saw Kate biting her lip. "Kate, is that something that I should be worried about?"

"I don't know, Alexis. It could've been a one-time thing. Maybe Brandon feels that you're interfering and it's possible that you are," she held her hand up when she saw Alexis starting to object. "Alexis, you can't lead a person to see things when they're not ready to see them. I'm saying this from experience."

"You and my dad?"

"Yes. You're seeing red flags. I won't deny that. All that you can do right now is to try to point these issues out to Paige, but it's up to her whether she gets out or not. You can't make her see what she's not ready to face. And it's also possible that Paige already knows that she needs to get out and doesn't know how. If that's the case, all that you can do is encourage her and be there when she needs a shoulder to cry on."

"Thanks, Kate," Alexis hugged her.

"You're welcome. Now, I'm going to take your father his coffee before he comes out here and hunts it down."

Castle was just waking up when Kate sauntered back into their bedroom, carrying two steaming cups of coffee. "You read my mind," he sat up and reached for his cup, smiling when Kate sat on the edge of the bed beside him. "What are your plans for this morning, Mrs. Castle?" He reached up and brushed her hair from her shoulders.

"Well, my plans are to take a shower and go to meet Lanie to find out all about this upcoming rendezvous that she has planned. Then I'm going to come home and do our laundry," she leaned down and kissed him.

"Is that shower singular or plural?"

"How many times have I showered alone since we got together, Castle?" She took his coffee cup and placed it on his nightstand before grabbing for his hand. "However, no loud screaming. Your daughter is awake and in the next room."

"Hey, you're the one who screams," he argued, letting himself be pulled into the bathroom.

***CCC***

"Girl, you look brown and healthy while I look like I should be laying on one of my slabs. So, spill. How was the Wild West?" Lanie hopped on one of the metal tables while Kate perched on the one opposite her.

"It was good, although I'm not sure that you really want to hear about the wild part," Kate teased, biting her lip and blushing slightly. "Alexis was telling me that you and Jenny want to go to Atlantic City for a weekend soon."

"We have to celebrate that band of gold on your finger. Since I didn't get to be a part of your official wedding, I want to do something fun to make up for that fact. Don't you dare beg out of it."

"No," Kate shook her head. "Actually it sounds like fun. I'm on call this weekend, but I'm free the next two weekends after that."

"Leave the arrangements up to me and Jenny. I promise that I will get us a suite somewhere fabulous. Is Alexis bringing her friend Paige?"

"I think she was going to talk to her today."

"Has she talked to you about her?" Lanie asked.

"A little this morning. Apparently, Paige is dating some guy that Alexis is a little wary of. She said that she had a confrontation with him yesterday when she was leaving to go home."

"What kind of a confrontation? Because I had dinner with Little Castle last night and she didn't say anything about that."

"I guess this guy thought that Alexis was butting in and he grabbed her arm. She said that she told him off and he let her go, but then Paige called her last night and said that this guy . . . Brandon . . . accused Alexis of hating him."

"Alexis told me that his behavior is along the mode of stalker."

"But, you and I know from experience that Paige has to come to the realization that this guy is no good on her own. Hearing it from her friends is only going to make her defensive."

"I just hope it all works out," Lanie looked across at her friend, who was smiling from ear to ear. "I'm really so happy for you, Kate. It's been ages since I've seen you looking so happy and at peace."

"Thanks, Lanie. Speaking of which, I need to go home and start laundry."

"How very domestic of you," Lanie teased.

"Well, Rick promised that he'd get it started, but if I know him, he's parked in front of his Xbox playing games with his friend from India."

"I'll call you when I get the reservations. You're absolutely sure you're not on call next weekend?"

"Positive. That's Karpowski's weekend."

"Great. Then I'll start looking online to get us a room."

"Thank you, Lanie," Kate hugged her best friend.

***CCC***

"Oh my god, Brandon!" Paige threw her phone across the table where she and Alexis were having a late breakfast. "Doesn't he have a class or something?"

"How many times has he texted you today?" Alexis took a sip of her macchiato.

"I lost count after 30. And don't even start on me today, Alexis," Paige glared at her best friend.

"I won't. I actually wanted to talk to you about something else. I met with Dr. Parish last night and she's planning a weekend getaway to Atlantic City for Kate. Well, she and Det. Ryan's wife are planning it. Anyway, she invited me and I told her yes. Paige, come with me. It'll be fun."

"Yeah, until Brandon texts me 400 times, wanting to know where I am and what I'm doing and who I'm doing it with. No, thank you."

"Paige, you're a grown woman. Why are you letting Brandon dictate what you do and who you're doing it with? Don't you think it would be fun to sit in a club and flirt with cute guys like we used to before you got tied down?"

"I'm not tied down."

"You're letting him control you—"

"Alexis, please. You promised."

"I'm sorry. I want you to come with me. We'll turn off our phones for the weekend and just concentrate on having a good time."

"I'd love to, but Alexis, my dad will never give me the money to go to Atlantic City."

"Then, come as my guest. I miss hanging out with my bestie before boys started coming between us."

"Alexis, Brandon will never come between us."

Alexis wanted to tell her that he already was, but she thought better of it. "Say that you'll come. Please?" She put her hands together and begged as Paige burst out laughing.

"When you do that, it reminds me of the first time you begged me to sleep over at your apartment. Okay, I'll come," she finally agreed as Alexis squealed happily. "But, I'll get the money to pay my own way."

"How?"

"I'll ask my mom. Playing mommy against daddy works every time."

Alexis shook her head. Some things never changed. Both girls had bonded due to the fact that they were the products of divorced parents. However, unlike Paige, Alexis had never once played her parents against one another. For one thing, her mother was always on the other side of the country and for another, she'd witnessed too much of her dad and Gina trying to outdo each other where she was concerned when they were married and it had driven her crazy. But Paige had always done it. In fact, she'd turned it into an art form.

***CCC***

When Kate walked back into the loft, Castle wasn't playing his Xbox, but was sitting at his desk in front of his laptop, which he quickly closed when his wife entered the office. "Whatcha doin'?" She sing-songed, coming over and perching on his lap.

"Nothing," he put on his best innocent expression.

"Richard Castle, are you looking at online porn at," she glanced at her watch, "twelve thirty in the afternoon?"

"No, I'm not looking at porn," he actually managed to look offended. "If you must know, I was looking online to book you ladies a room at the Trump Taj Mahal."

"Castle, Lanie and Jenny are planning this. I'm sure that they want to do it themselves."

"I know, but I feel bad that Lanie felt like she missed out on our wedding. I wanted to do something to make it up to her. I want this to be my gift to you and your friends. Since I'm not invited, the least that I could do is make sure that you, my daughter, and your friends are well taken care of."

"You're so sweet," she kissed him. "But I'll let you tell her and see if she lets you talk her into it. I'm going to start laundry. Do you want some lunch?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll throw something together."

The second Kate left the room, Castle grinned and booked three days and two nights in the Alexander Suite at the Trump Taj Mahal. He then picked up his phone and called Lanie. "Hi, Lanie," he said when she answered the phone.

"Castle, what do you want? Before you ask, it's a girls' weekend, so you're not invited. Not even to chaperone."

"What if I'm calling to tell you that I booked you ladies the Alexander Suite at the Trump Taj Mahal? My gift to you for making you give up carbs for so long to fit into a dress that you never got to wear."

"Castle, I can't let you do that! Do you have any idea how much a suite in that hotel costs?"

"Yes. That's why I'm doing it. I want you girls to have a good time, but I want you to enjoy a comfortable room. It's two bedrooms, but I'm sure that Alexis and Paige will want to share a room. If I know you, Jenny, and Kate, you'll turn the weekend into one giant slumber party, anyway."

"That's really sweet, Castle. Thank you. I owe you."

"No, you don't. Just make sure that you have a good time and take care of my girls."

"I will. Thank you, Castle."

Castle walked into the kitchen where Kate was mixing chicken salad. "Lanie accepted the suite. I didn't even have to twist her arm very hard."

Just then the door opened and Alexis entered the loft with Paige. "Hi, girls!" Kate called out. "I just made some chicken salad if you're hungry."

"No, thank you. We ate a late breakfast," Alexis grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator. "We're going to up upstairs and study."

"Mr. Castle, is it all right if I leave my cell phone down here?" Paige placed her cell on the island separating the kitchen from the living room. "Otherwise I won't get anything done."

"Yeah, you can leave it here."

"It'll chime a lot, but just ignore it."

Kate made sandwiches for herself and Castle before coming around and sitting beside him at the island. They'd just started eating when they heard the bell go off on Paige's phone. After a moment it went off again, and then repeatedly after that. "Maybe I should take her phone up to her," Castle suggested, but Kate put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Is there something going on that I should know about?"

Kate hated looking at someone else's cell, but she had to know. She picked it up and saw 60 missed texts from Brandon. She showed it Rick. "This is why Alexis wants to take her to Atlantic City. To get her away from that."

Castle was about to say something when the doorbell rang. He got up and walked to the door, opening it to a tall young man with dark hair and eyes, dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Paige. I tracked her phone to here. Is she here?"

"You tracked her phone?" Kate got up and walked to the door. "Why are you tracking her phone?"

"Because she won't answer my texts. I'm worried about her. Is she here?" Kate could see that he was getting agitated.

"She's studying with Alexis. I will tell her that you came by," Kate started to close the door, but Brandon stuck his foot in the door. "Young man, I'm a New York City police officer and I'm telling you right now that unless you want to be arrested for criminal trespassing, then you need to turn around and leave right now. I will have Paige call you when she's free."

Considering his options, Brandon finally turned and walked back to the elevator. Kate closed the door and glanced over to find the two girls standing at the top of the stairs. "He's tracking my phone?" Paige had tears in her eyes. "Is he fucking serious?"

Kate beckoned Alexis and Paige to come downstairs. They all sat around the dining table. "Paige, how long have you been seeing him?"

"A couple of months. We started dating at the end of September."

"Has he been like this the whole time?"

"No," Paige shook her head as Alexis brought over a box of tissues. "He's only been like this for about a month. He started after . . . after . . . oh my god, I can't even say it!"

"After you slept with him the first time?" Kate guessed as Paige turned bright red, but she nodded. "Paige, he's not going to change. Men like that never do. In fact, they get worse. If you want, I can help you get a TRO."

"Det. Beckett—"

"Kate. Here, at home, I'm Kate."

"Kate, I can't break up with him. Most of the time he's really good to me."

"Yeah, when he's not texting you to accuse you of being with other guys," Alexis scoffed.

"Okay. But you need to try to distance yourself from him. If you can, make him try to understand boundaries. Because clearly that's something that he's having a problem with."

"Paige, it's not all right for him to be able to track your phone," Castle spoke for the first time. "If possible, you need to get a new phone and don't give your number to him."

"My dad is going to kill me if I tell him that I need a new phone! He just bought me this one! He won't come back here, will he?" Paige looked fearful.

"No, I think he realized that messing with me wouldn't be advisable."

"When you're ready to go home, I'll give you a ride," Castle told her.

"Thank you," Paige smiled gratefully. "Alexis, can we please go upstairs and get our papers done?"

"Yeah. Thanks, dad. Thanks, Kate."

"You're welcome, sweetie," Kate told her.

"Kate, are you getting a bad feeling about that boy who just came to our door?"

"Yeah," Kate sighed as she felt Castle step behind her and wrap his strong arms around her. Her female intuition was on high alert at the moment.

 **A/N #3: We will be heading to Atlantic City in the next chapter where things will heat up.**

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	3. A Nightmare Away from Home

**DISCLAIMERS: The only thing 'Castle' related that I own is Seasons 1-5 on DVD.**

 **SUMMARY: The girls arrive in Atlantic City, where they soon find themselves thrust headlong into a nightmare.**

 **A/N #1: Once again, many thanks to Kelly ( uofmcowgirl on Twitter). Without her, I'd probably still be suffering from writers block.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 3: A NIGHTMARE AWAY FROM HOME**

"Be careful," Castle kissed Kate softly, before letting his forehead rest against hers. "I'm going to miss you."

"Come on, Writer-Boy!" Lanie called out impatiently. "She's going to be back in two days! I promise that I won't let anything happen to her!"

"Will you please remind Lanie that it's Writer- _Man_ now, Kate? Emphasis on the _man_ part."

"I'll set her straight," she smiled and touched his cheek. "We'll see you on Sunday afternoon."

"Bye, dad," Alexis kissed her father before she got into the backseat with Paige and Jenny.

"Bye, pumpkin. Have a good time and please be careful."

"Bye, Mr. Castle," Paige waved at him.

Castle continued waving until the SUV was out of his line of sight. He then went back into the building and upstairs to the loft, where he'd left his mother, who had said her goodbyes from the comfort of the warm apartment. "Did they manage to get off okay?"

"Yeah," Castle's voice was glum as he walked into the kitchen to get something to drink.

"Richard, cheer up. Your lovely bride will be back here in two days. Lanie and Jenny want to do something to celebrate the fact that their friend just got married. She's gone out with them plenty of times before."

"I know. I just can't shake the feeling that something's going to go wrong this weekend. I know, I'm just being silly," he forced a smile.

"Yes, you are. Kate and Alexis are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. So are Lanie and Jenny. As for young Paige—" Martha simply shook her head.

"I know. I know Alexis means well, but you can't force someone to see what they're not ready to see and right now, Paige isn't ready to see that Brandon is a danger to her."

"I take it that he's still texting her incessantly."

"According to Alexis, now he's added a new twist. Showing up everywhere Paige happens to be. I'm worried that he's going to show up in Atlantic City this weekend."

"Well, Kate will be there and I'm sure she'll know how to deal with the situation."

"Yeah. You're right. I guess I should get some writing done while I have no distractions."

"Richard, they're going to be fine," Martha placed a calming hand on his arm. "When Kate and Alexis walk back through that door on Sunday afternoon, you'll see that you've worried all weekend for no reason."

"I think I'll go get some writing done."

Martha sighed as she watched Richard walk into his office. She knew that he was right to be concerned. After all, the situation with Paige hadn't got any better over the past week and a half. It was beginning to take a toll on Alexis, who constantly worried that something awful was going to happen to her best friend. Kate had had several long talks with both girls, to no avail. Paige kept insisting that Brandon only acted the way that he was because he loved her. Kate had tried to tell the young woman that love wasn't supposed to be obsessive and stifling. But Paige was so blinded by having a young man pay her so much attention that she refused to listen to sound advice.

***CCC***

The trip was fun for the first hour. The girls were laughing and talking among themselves. They all laughed at the stories Jenny told them about Sarah Grace, who was now 10 months old. Then Alexis saw Paige sneaking a look at her cell phone, quite a feat considering that she was seated between her and Jenny. "Please tell me that's not Brandon," Alexis nodded toward the device in Paige's hand. "Seriously, Paige? You said that this weekend you were going to work on not thinking about him."

"He's my boyfriend, Alexis. How am I _not_ supposed to think about him? Do you think that Kate isn't thinking about your dad?" She pointed an accusing finger at Kate, who turned to look at both girls.

"That's different. Kate's married to my dad, and my dad isn't stalker crazy!"

"That isn't fair!"

"Girls, come on," Kate tried to mediate. "Paige, did you tell him that you were leaving town this weekend?"

"Yes."

"Please tell me that you didn't tell him where we were staying," Alexis glared at her best friend.

"He asked, Alexis. So—"

"So, of course you told him," Alexis finished the sentence for her.

"Wait!" Jenny interjected. "Is there something going on that I should know about?"

"No!" Paige shouted.

"Yes!" Kate and Alexis argued back.

" _O_ -kay," Jenny slowly breathed out.

"Paige is dating a stalker," Paige elbowed Alexis in the ribs. "Well, he is."

"He's _not_ a stalker. If he was a stalker, would he give me this?" Paige displayed the charm bracelet she was wearing on her right wrist.

"You know what?" Lanie piped in from the driver's seat. "Let's put all of this talk about stalkers on hold and enjoy the weekend. We're supposed to be celebrating, not fighting among ourselves."

"Will you at least turn your phone off for the rest of the trip?" Alexis asked as Paige obliged, putting the Smartphone back into her pocket. "Thank you."

"I think that we need some music," Kate retrieved Castle's CD case from under her seat and began leafing through it. "How about a little Taylor Swift?"

"Your dad listens to Taylor Swift?" Jenny looked at Alexis with a raised eyebrow, her expression full of amusement.

"Um—" Alexis looked to Kate for help.

"He'll be the last to admit that he's a fan, but I've seen him dancing to 'Shake it Off.' It's really kind of cute," Kate blushed and bit her lip as Lanie looked at her.

"Do we really want to know any more about this cute little dance of his?"

"No," Kate slid down in the seat with her hands over her eyes as the other women in the car burst into laughter.

"It's okay, Kate. I've seen Kevin dance to some pretty funny stuff, too," Jenny admitted.

"Clothed, unclothed, or do we really want to know?" Lanie asked.

"I'm pleading the fifth."

"Just think," Alexis nudged Paige, "this is what we have to look forward to in the future."

"Lex, I'm sorry. Look, if it makes you feel any better, he promised that he wouldn't show up and ruin the weekend."

"I'm sorry, too. Let's just have a good time, okay? But, as my dad would say, not too good of a time."

"You've got a deal."

When they arrived at the hotel, Lanie gave the desk clerk their information and they soon found themselves behind a bellhop on the elevator, heading for the penthouse suites on the very top floor. When the bellhop opened the door, he heard the gasps of awe from all five women. "This is . . . this is bigger than my apartment!" Lanie walked around, looking at their sumptuous surroundings.

"Ladies, this is the master bedroom," the bellhop opened the door, revealing a huge room with a gigantic king-sized bed in the middle of it. "The other bedroom is right over here."

The other bedroom was also large, but with two full-sized beds with a nightstand in the middle of them. "Thank you so much," Lanie tipped the young man handsomely, smiling when he touched his fingers to the brim of his hat and left them alone to explore the room.

"Look at the view," Jenny opened the curtains, revealing a breathtaking view of the Atlantic City casinos and the boardwalk in the distance. "I have got to send Kevin pictures!" She ran excitedly from the room with her phone in her hand.

"I think I could get used to this, Kate," Lanie came and stood beside her friend, who was still taking in the view.

"God only knows what else Castle has planned for us this weekend. I need to call him and let him know that we're here."

"That can wait! Girl, we need to explore! This room is huge!"

"Kate! Lanie!" Jenny ran back into the living room, all excited. "Wait until you see the bathroom! Kate, I think I'm in love with your husband!"

"That makes two of us," Kate laughed, following her two friends into the bathroom and adjoining bath.

The bathroom had an Italian marble floor and vanity. It also had a huge Jacuzzi tub and a separate glass enclosed shower. "We're going to fight over who gets to use this tub first, aren't we?" Lanie glanced at Kate.

"Hey, I thought that I was the guest of honor this weekend. I get to use the tub first."

"Uh-huh. We'll see about that."

"Let me call Rick and let tell him that we arrived in one piece," Kate pulled out her phone and stepped from the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bed, smiling when she heard Jenny's excited chatter to Kevin in the other room.

***CCC***

Castle was sitting behind his laptop, typing away when his cell phone rang. He picked it up and smiled when he saw Kate's smiling face come up on the screen. "Hi," his voice was seductively smooth. "How do you like the room?"

"Hold on and you'll be able to hear for yourself," Kate walked to the bedroom doorway and held the phone away from her ear so that Castle could hear Jenny. "She's been on the phone with Kevin for the last five minutes."

"So, you like the room?"

"Oh, we love the room. It's breathtaking, Rick."

"Well, I have something else planned that I'm sure you'll also enjoy. When I booked the room, I made reservations for the five of you at Il Mulino New York for seven o'clock. Hard to get reservations, I might add."

"Rick—"

"Kate, I know that Lanie and Jenny want to do all of this, but I just wanted to help a little. I want you ladies to have a weekend to remember."

"I've read the reviews about Il Mulino and I can't believe I'm actually going to get to eat there. Have I mentioned how much I love you?"

"Yes, but I never get tired of hearing you say it."

"I love you very, very much."

"I love you, too. Unless something awful happens, I don't expect to hear from you or Alexis until you get home Sunday. Have a wonderful time."

"I will. We'll see you on Sunday." Kate ended the call and went in search of Lanie and Jenny. "Lanie, Castle got us reservations at Il Mulino for tonight."

"Are you kidding? I read in The New Yorker that you have to make reservations weeks in advance. "

"I guess it helps to be a best-selling author. I'm going to go and tell the girls."

"It's too bad Castle is an only child," Lanie lamented as Jenny laughed.

"Have I shown you my latest pictures of Sarah Grace?" Jenny pulled out her phone and brought up her photo album.

"Jenny, these are great!" Lanie complimented as she scrolled through the pictures of Jenny and Kevin's baby. "Have you ever thought of doing this professionally?"

"No," Jenny shook her head. "It's been a hobby of mine since I was a teenager, but I'd rather take pictures of my family than have to deal with strangers all day long. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What's on your mind?" The two women took seats on the King-sized bed.

"Alexis made a comment about Paige's boyfriend being a stalker. Was she being sarcastic or could this guy really be dangerous?"

"Kate told me that Brandon . . . that's his name, showed up at the loft. He said that he'd tracked Paige's cell phone. Kate and Alexis have both tried to make Paige see reason, but love is blind," Lanie smiled, the smile disappearing when Jenny didn't smile back. "Jenny, what's wrong?"

"When I was about Alexis and Paige's age, I did a lot of stupid stuff. One of my stepbrothers had a friend and we started going out. It was okay for a little while and then he just started getting super possessive and out of control jealous."

"What did you do?" Lanie asked when Kate came back into the room.

"What's going on?" Kate sat on the bed with her two friends.

"Jenny was just telling me that she was once in the situation Paige is in."

"Mine was worse," Jenny pulled up her sleeve, showing both women a long, ropey looking scar on her arm. "When I tried to end it, he pulled a knife on me."

"Does Kevin know all of this?" Kate asked.

"Kevin and I don't have any secrets from each other, Kate. You should know that better than anybody," Jenny smiled, referring to the Pick-Up Artist murder the team had worked shortly before Kevin and Jenny's wedding.

"What happened to him?" Lanie asked.

"He got charged with assault with a deadly weapon and making terroristic threats. He did some time, and I have a lifelong restraining order against him. Maybe it would help if I talked to Paige."

"Jenny, what you're suggesting sounds great on paper, but Paige is blind to what Brandon is. Until she sees it, there's nothing any of us can do," Kate said. "Now, Rick said that our reservations are for seven. I want to walk around and see some sights before we come back to get ready for dinner."

"That sounds great to me," Lanie agreed.

"Me, too," Jenny echoed.

By the time the ladies spent a few hours walking around on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, they were more than ready to return to the room to begin dressing for dinner. Lanie and Kate were standing side by side in the bathroom applying their makeup. "Lanie, I should warn you that Il Mulino is a little on the—"

"Pricey side? Girl, don't worry about it. Jenny and I have everything worked out. I wouldn't have brought you here if I was going to make you eat McDonald's for two days. Let me worry about whether I can afford this or not. If I couldn't afford it, we wouldn't be here. Now, let's go have a nice dinner."

"Okay. Rick said that the reservation is in your name."

The five women walked into the Trattoria Il Mulino and up to the hostess. "Good evening. Welcome to Trattoria Il Mulino. Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, under the name of Parish," Lanie answered.

"Ah, yes. Party of five. Follow me, please," the young woman grabbed five menus and led Lanie and the others to a large round booth. "Your waiter will be right with you," she handed each of them a menu. "Please enjoy your meal."

"Thank you," Lanie smiled. "Everything looks terrific. I don't even know where to start."

Suddenly a young man dressed impeccably in a tuxedo appeared at their table. "Good evening, ladies," he spoke in a wonderful Italian accent. "My name is Giorgio. I will be your server this evening. Would you like to start with something to drink?"

Alexis and Paige opted for water while Kate, Lanie and Jenny ordered the house white wine. "What do you suggest, Giorgio?" Kate asked him in flawless Italian as the other ladies looked suitably impressed.

"The Prix Fixe menu is quite good. The selections are listed. You just choose what you'd like from antipasti, the entrée and the dessert. The Veal Piccata is excellent. And may I say that your Italian is quite good."

"Thank you," Kate smiled shyly. "Can you give us a few more minutes to decide?"

"Of course," Giorgio gave a slight bow before leaving them to decide.

"Where did you learn to speak Italian and what did you say to him?" Jenny asked.

"My mom wanted me to learn as many languages as I possibly could. She told me that you never knew when knowing another language could come in handy. I just asked him for his recommendations and I asked him to give us a few more minutes. By the way, he suggested the Prix Fixe menu, saying that the Veal Piccata is excellent."

"Do you speak anything else?" Paige asked, intrigued.

"I speak Bosnian, Croatian, French, Italian, Serbian, and Slovenian fluently. I also speak Russian from the semester that I spent in Russia when I was in school. My Russian is good, but not as good as I'd like it to be. However, it did once save Castle's life."

"That is so cool," Paige breathed as the rest of the table started laughing. "What's so funny? I always thought that Alexis was smart, but I think you're the smartest woman I've ever met. Half the time, I can barely speak English."

"My mom always drilled it into me that I could be anything that I wanted to be. I'd like to hope that I've inspired some of that into Alexis and I definitely want my daughters to know that, too."

"So, does that mean there are little Castle's on the horizon?" Jenny asked.

"Let's just say that Rick and I are definitely talking about it."

After dinner, they all decided to change into more comfortable clothes to go down to the casino. While Lanie, Jenny, and Kate walked around the casino floor, Paige and Alexis decided that they wanted to play video poker at one of the bar areas. "Alexis, do me a favor," Kate told her before the two girls walked away. "Check in with us on occasion, okay? And find me or at least call me if you decide to go upstairs."

"Okay," Alexis nodded.

"I like Kate, but she worries about you way too much," Paige complained when they entered the bar area and sat at a table with a video poker machine. "Doesn't she realize that you are an adult now?"

"Yes, but she's also responsible for me. So the least that we can do is to respect her wishes."

The man tending bar was staring unabashedly at the two girls. He grabbed the arm of the young man behind the bar with him. "Sam, do you see those two girls right there? Go chat them up. Get their names. Flirt with them."

"Why?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Why? Are you kidding? Look at them. They're fucking gorgeous and they're _alone_."

"Marc, I told you. I'm not doing this again. Not after the last time. Chat them up yourself," Sam started to walk away.

"Listen, asshole. You're done when I tell you you're done. Until then, I own your ass. So, go do what I told you to do."

Paige and Alexis were feeding coins into the video poker machine when Alexis realized they were no longer alone. She looked to her right to see a man in his early 20's standing there. He was nice looking with dark hair and dark eyes. Plus he had the added benefit of being tall. Alexis liked taller men. "Hi," he said. "My name is Sam. Can I get you ladies something to drink?"

"Aren't you supposed to ask for our ID's?" Alexis asked.

"If you want to play it by the book, I guess. But I don't think you girls would be here if you were illegal."

"You're cute," Paige smiled. "What's your name?"

"Sam. What's your name?" He smiled back.

"Paige. This is Alexis," she nodded across the table.

"Are you here with your boyfriends?"

"No," Paige giggled while Alexis fought to roll her eyes. "Alexis' dad just got married. We're here with her stepmother and two of her stepmothers' friends."

Alexis hated it when people referred to Kate as her 'stepmother.' She and Kate had had many long talks about that before Kate had married her dad. Kate had told Alexis that she didn't consider herself as a mother of any kind to Alexis and that the last thing that she wanted to do was replace Meredith. Alexis considered Kate to be a great friend, but more importantly, she considered her a mentor.

"Anyway, Paige has a boyfriend," Alexis glared at Paige.

"Yeah, but he's kind of a jerk," Paige added.

Alexis couldn't believe what she was hearing. Paige defended Brandon tooth and nail until the first halfway decent guy crossed their paths and suddenly Brandon was a jerk. If Paige wasn't her best friend, Alexis would probably have shaken her until her teeth rattled.

"See that guy at the bar?" Sam pointed to where Marc was standing behind the bar. Seeing them looking at him, he waved. "That's Marc. He's the best bartender in the whole hotel. He used to work in the Bahamas at one of those bars where the bartenders throw the bottles in the air and stuff. He makes this drink that's called a Bahamas Blast. You can't even taste the alcohol in it."

"He can really throw the bottles up in the air and catch them? Like Tom Cruise in 'Cocktail?'" Paige looked dubious.

"Hey, Marc?" Sam called out. "Paige here doesn't believe that you can do that trick with the bottles."

"Come up here and enjoy the show," Sam smiled a wide, white smile.

"I always wondered how they did that trick," Paige got up and approached the bar.

"Paige—" Alexis tried to stop her, but Paige waved her off.

The trick was pretty impressive, but Alexis considered the bartender to be a phony ass. She also found herself increasingly annoyed with Paige, who was now sitting at the bar, watching Marc's every move. Once he was done with the show, Marc expertly poured the contents of his shaker into two glasses, complete with fruit garnishes. Unknown to the two girls, he'd also crushed Scopolamine into each of the glasses. "Take this over to your friend with my compliments," he smiled as he handed her the two glasses.

"Here," Paige walked over to the table, placing one of the glasses in front of her best friend. "Did you see what he did with the bottles? That was so cool!"

"He was just showing off," Alexis said, taking a sip of the drink. It was a little sweeter than what she normally drank, but it wasn't too bad. "He does mix a good drink, though."

"Yeah, I could drink a few of these."

Over at the bar, Marc motioned Sam over. "Once the drinks take effect, I want you to get them back up to their room. I'll be up there as soon as I get someone to cover."

"Hey, can I have one of them this time? I think that dark haired girl likes me."

"So, you have a hard-on for the brunette, do you? Sure, if you do as I ask, she's all yours."

Both girls were about halfway through their drinks when the Scopolamine started to take effect. "This drink must have a lot of alcohol in it because I'm starting to get really buzzed," Paige complained.

"My dad told me once that most fruity drinks are like that. That's why they add a lot of fruit juice; to mask the taste of the alcohol," Alexis said. "But I feel buzzed, too. Maybe we should go ahead and go upstairs."

"That sounds good to me."

"Let me call Kate and let her know that we're heading up," Alexis took her phone out, struggling to scroll through her contacts before finding Kate's number.

***CCC***

Kate, Lanie, and Jenny were walking around the casino, stopping to occasionally watch the players at the different tables. "Let's go over there and get something to drink," Kate pointed to a nearby bar where a few people were sitting. "We can people watch."

"People watch?" Jenny made a face.

"It's something that I picked up from Castle and it's actually a lot of fun. You watch different people stroll by and make up stories about them. Castle can get outlandish when he does it, but it always makes me laugh."

"Sounds good to me. I could definitely use something to drink," Jenny said as the three of them walked over and took seats at a table near the bar. "So, how does this work? Why don't you start?"

"I can't believe you've never done this. Okay, you see the waiter at that table over there?" Kate nodded toward a nearby table where a waiter with longish blonde hair was taking a drink order. "In his off hours, he poses as a model for those bodice rippers. He probably has about a million followers on Twitter and Facebook." When he turned around, Kate squinted. "Wait! I know that guy!"

"Seriously, Kate?" Lanie scoffed.

"Remember the murdered stripper case? The dead guy was dressed as a cop," Kate reminded her best friend.

"Oh, yeah. Mr. Three Hundred Dollars an hour. How can I forget? I still say that three hundred dollars an hour was a bargain," Lanie's mind temporarily went back to the specimen from her morgue slab.

"How so?" Jenny asked.

"Let's just say I got a really good look under the sheet," Lanie smiled dreamily in remembrance.

"We questioned this guy at a strip club. He looked like Fabio. What was his name? Hans . . . Hans . . . Hans von Manschaft," she snapped her fingers.

"Seriously?" Jenny burst out laughing. "That was his name? That sounds like a porn name!"

"Hold on," Kate held up her fingers as the blonde waiter strolled over. "Hello, Hans. Are you still working at the strip club?"

"Do I know you?" He asked. "You look familiar, but I see a lot of women."

"My name is Det. Kate Beckett—"

"Ah, yes. The murder from a while back. I don't work at the club anymore. I've been here for about a year. And my name isn't Hans. It's David Benson. May I get you and your friends something to drink?"

"I'd like a Scotch," Kate said.

"Rum and Coke," Lanie said.

"Same here," Jenny added.

"Very good. I'll be right back with your drinks."

"And that ladies, goes to show you that the world is indeed a very small place."

"He was really a stripper?" Jenny watched David as he gave their drink orders to the bartender.

"Yep."

"I think I like your made-up story about him better."

***CCC***

Kate, Lanie, and Jenny were watching the players at the craps table a short time later when Kate felt her phone vibrate. "Hey, Alexis," she answered.

"Kate, Paige and I . . . we're . . . going to head upstairs. I . . . wasn't sure . . . where to find you . . . to tell you. Do you still want us . . . to find you?"

"Alexis, are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're just tired." 

"Okay, sweetie. Get some sleep and we'll see you in the morning," she was frowning when she hung up. "Alexis and Paige are going up to the room."

"Are you okay?" Lanie asked.

"Yeah, she just sounded funny."

"She's probably overwhelmed trying to keep Paige under control."

"Yeah, I'm sure that you're right."

When Lanie, Kate, and Jenny re-entered the penthouse suite, it was almost one in the morning. "I'm going to go and check on Alexis and Paige," Kate told her two friends before walking over and carefully opening the door. The room was dark, but Kate could see a lump under the covers on the nearer of the two beds. Sighing in relief that the two younger women had returned to the room safely, she closed the door and went to the master bedroom to find Jenny making up a bed on the chaise lounge. "Jenny, what are you doing?"

"I love slumber parties, but the only person I sleep next to well is Kevin."

"Are they okay, Kate?" Lanie asked, coming out of the room in her nightshirt.

"Yeah, they're both sound asleep."

***CCC***

When Alexis woke up the next morning, her head was pounding and her mouth felt like she hadn't had any water to drink for days. She slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, the room beginning to spin crazily when she did. "How much did I drink last night?" She asked out loud. "Paige? Do you remember coming back here last night?" When she looked over at the other bed, she saw a lump in the bed and rolled her eyes, assuming that Paige was still sound asleep.

Lanie was in the kitchen area making a pot of coffee when she heard the door open to the bedroom where the girls were sleeping and Alexis stumbled out. "Lanie?" Alexis' sounded dazed and still half asleep.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Lanie turned around and almost dropped the glass coffee carafe to the floor when she saw the young redheaded. "Oh my god, Alexis!" She rushed over to her. "Alexis, are you hurt?"

Alexis followed Lanie's line of sight and gasped when she saw that her clothes were covered in blood. Blood also covered her hands. "I don't think so."

"Okay, sweetie. Come and sit over here. I'm going to go and get Kate," Lanie guided Alexis over to the sofa before she ran to the master bedroom. "Kate! Kate, are you awake?"

"Lanie, I'm supposed to be on vacation," Kate grumbled from beneath the comforter.

"Kate, you need to get up. You need to take a look at Alexis."

At the mention of Alexis' name, Kate was wide awake. She threw back the sheet and comforter. Hearing the commotion, Jenny also woke up and sat up in the chaise lounge. "What's wrong with Alexis?" Kate jumped out of bed and ran to the living room where she spotted Alexis. "Alexis?" Kate approached her and had to take a deep breath to keep from screaming out in shock. "Alexis? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I . . . I don't think so. I don't think this is my blood. Kate, Paige is still asleep. I don't remember coming back here last night. I feel so sick," with those words, she ran to the kitchen and threw up in the sink.

"Kate, what in the hell is going on?"

"I don't know," Kate ran into the kitchen to hold Alexis' hair back. "We need to wake Paige up and then call the police."

 **A/N #2: Explanations will be forthcoming starting with the next chapter.**

 **A/N #3: For those of you who want the next chapter in the 'Baby Hope,' universe, please be patient with me. I promise that as soon as I come up with a scenario that I can work with, I will write the next story. I know that I said it would be my summer hiatus fic, but I couldn't make anything happen. When you have writer's block, the worst thing you can do is force a story to happen.**

 **A/N #4: The Trattoria Il Mulino is a real restaurant inside of the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.**

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 **Facebook: Cindy Wylie (RkieFan1960 at AOL dot com)**


	4. Erased Memories

**DISCLAIMERS: The only thing 'Castle' related that I own are my DVD's and the DVR that I watch them obsessively on.**

 **SUMMARY: What happened to Alexis and Paige at the bar?**

 **A/N #1: I want to thank everybody who is following this story.**

 **A/N #2: Again, thanks to Kelly for all of her help.**

 **A/N #3: The first part of this chapter takes place after the phone call Alexis places to Kate toward the end of Chapter 3, and then it continues from where Chapter 3 left off. At first it's going to be sketchy on the details, but I promise the gaps will be filled in as the story progresses.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 4: ERASED MEMORIES**

 _Shortly after Alexis spoke to Kate_

Brandon Scott sat where he had a clear view of Paige, but she couldn't see him. He already knew that she was staying in one of the penthouse suites with Alexis. She'd made a point of telling him that when she'd told him about the trip to Atlantic City. He watched her flirting with the waiter at the bar and then with the bartender. 'God Paige, you're such a whore,' he whispered to himself. 'You don't even know those guys.'

He continued watching from his vantage point while Paige walked back over to the table she'd been sharing with Alexis, placing a drink in front of her friend. He didn't know how long he sat there when he saw Alexis get up from the table, followed by Paige. He noticed that both girls were unsteady as they made their way to the bank of elevators where a security guard stood sentry. 'What the hell?' He knew from experience that Paige could definitely drink more than half a drink without showing any effects. He then looked over at the bar and saw the waiter deep in conversation with the bartender. 'Shit!'

At the bar, Sam and Marc were discussing how to get the two girls up to the room without rousing the suspicion of the guard, who diligently asked every person boarding the elevator for their key card, proof that they were indeed staying at the hotel. "I'll go over there with you and bring the redhead back to the bar. I'll tell her she left something behind on the table and that I stashed it behind the bar. After I get her away, take the other girl up to the room. I'll be up there in 15 or 20 minutes as soon as I can get someone to cover for me."

"Just don't take too long. I don't know how much time we're going to have before the rest of their group returns to the room," Sam warned.

"Come on," the two men hurried over to the elevator where both girls were trying to find their cards. Paige produced hers while Alexis kept digging. "Excuse me," Marc called out, taking Alexis' arm, causing her to startle and lose her balance. "You left your key card at your table. I found it and put it behind the bar for safekeeping. Come on, I'll get it for you."

"Alexis, I really don't feel so good," Paige grabbed the wall for balance as Sam stepped forward.

"I'll only be a minute. Go on up and I'll be up in a few minutes."

"I'll make sure that she gets upstairs safely," Sam showed the guard his employee badge as the guard nodded his assent. "Come on, Paige. I've got you."

Leading Alexis over to the bar, he guided her to a barstool while he went behind the bar, making a great show of looking for the supposedly missing room key card. He knew it wouldn't take Alexis long to forget why she was there. "Could I get some water?" She dropped her head down to her folded arms.

Marc knew that she was out for the count, so he looked for one of the other bar employees who could step behind the bar while he was gone. He soon spotted David Benson walking past with his empty tray. "Dave!" Marc called out.

"What do you need?"

"I'm going to see this young lady up to her room. She's had a little too much to drink and I don't know where the rest of her party is. I need to find her key card to show Eddie at the elevator. It's probably in her purse."

"So, look for it. I'll vouch if anybody says anything. Check her wallet. That's where the ladies usually keep them. There or in their pockets."

"I know the drill, Dave. This isn't the first time I've done this."

"Just don't be gone too long. Because Larry will have a shit fit if he comes back and finds you gone."

"Got it!" Marc pulled the plastic card from Alexis' wallet, replacing the wallet and shutting her purse. He then took Alexis by the arm and gently guided her to her feet.

"Where am I?"

"You're okay. I'm going to see you up to your room."

"Hey, do you need a hand?" Dave asked. 

"No, bro. I've got it," Marc gave him a smirk before pulling his signature fedora from behind the bar. "I'll be back in 10 minutes."

Eddie the guard looked at Alexis' key card, but he didn't ask for Marc's employee badge. Marc figured it was because he'd seen him earlier with Sam and just assumed that since they were dressed the same, he must work in the casino also. He pulled out his cell phone once the elevator doors closed, breathing in the scent of Alexis' perfume as she leaned against him in a stupor. "Yeah, it's me. I've got two of them. A brunette and a redhead. They're both about 21. Red here is about 5'5 and maybe 120. The dark haired one is a couple of inches shorter and about 110 or so. They're gorgeous, man. The usual place in an hour." He ended the call as the elevator stopped on the top floor.

Inside of the suite, Sam had managed to get Paige into the smaller bedroom and onto the furthest of the two beds. His breath caught in his throat as he began removing her clothes. He thought Paige was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life. He was so hard looking at her that he ached. Marc had promised that he could have her first, so he unzipped his fly and lowered his pants.

***CCC***

Brandon knew without a doubt that Paige and Alexis had been drugged by those two guys at the bar. He had to get up there and save them. Maybe if he managed to save both of them, it would change Alexis' mind about him. Maybe she'd actually like him if he was a hero.

Eddie watched as Brandon walked up to the elevator. He could tell that the young man had been drinking by his demeanor. "I need to see your room card, sir."

"I don't have a card. But, listen! My girlfriend is staying here with her best friend. I saw two guys take them upstairs. Those two guys gave them something. I have to get upstairs to make sure that they're okay."

"What's your girlfriend's room number?"

"I . . . I don't know. She just said that they were staying here this weekend, but I don't know what room."

"Then I'm afraid I can't let you go upstairs."

"Please! They're in trouble!"

"So are you if you don't turn around and leave."

"Fuck you, asshole!" Brandon rushed up to the elevator and pressed the button to go 'up.'

"This is Marshall at Number 6," Eddie spoke into his walkie talkie. "I need help with a drunk and disorderly patron."

It seemed like seconds later that Brandon found himself pinned to the floor, his arms behind his back followed by the sound of handcuffs snapping closed around him. "Come on, pal," another guard yanked him to his feet. "You can sleep it off in the Atlantic City jail."

"No! You have to listen to me! They're in trouble! Paige Livingston and Alexis Castle! They're in bad trouble!"

"So are you," the guard said, leading him past shocked, but gawking guests on the way out of the casino to a waiting patrol car. "Show's over, folks," he said as he handed Brandon off to a uniformed officer. "He tried to get on the elevator without a room key. He insists that his girlfriend is upstairs and in trouble."

"Yeah, we've all heard that one before," the cop assisted Brandon into the back of the car and closed the door.

***CCC***

Marc used Alexis' key card to open the door to the suite, guiding the almost unconscious woman through the suite, stopping when he heard the sound of groaning. "Son of a bitch!" He roared when he dragged Alexis into the bedroom and saw Sam on top of Paige, his hips moving up and down. "You motherfucker!" He threw Alexis onto the bed and ran over, yanking Sam off of Paige by his neck. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"You told me that I could have first shot at her. What the hell, asshole! I was about to come! If you're that horny, you can have _her_ ," Sam pointed his finger at Alexis.

"I told you that crap so that you'd help me get her up here. _Tucker_ gets first crack at them." Marc pulled out his phone. "Yeah, we've got a problem. Sam helped me with those two girls and he got a little excited. No, she's out. They're both out. I don't know. We're working against the clock here. Okay." Marc replaced his phone in his pocket and looked warily at Sam, who was watching him with an uneasy expression on his face. "We need to go into the other room. Tucker's on his way up. He said he needs to talk to both of us."

"Was he pissed?"

"What do you think? Of course he's pissed. But he said that hopefully you can make things right somehow. Come on, let's go. It's okay, bro," Marc slipped his arm around Sam's shoulder as a brotherly gesture and guided him from the room. "You want a drink?" He asked after he pushed Sam down to the sofa. "I think we could both use a drink."

"Don't you think that we should just get out of here? We can go downstairs and get some other girls. Those two aren't staying in this room alone," Sam nodded toward the master bedroom.

"Relax. It's under control," Marc poured two fingers of Scotch into a cut crystal glass and quickly downed the contents. "Wow, that's good. Are you sure that I can't offer you one?"

"No, I'm good," Sam's heart hammered in his chest at the sound of a loud rap on the door.

Marc opened the door to a six foot four inch 300 pound wall of solid muscle. Jared Tucker was bald, with the requisite gold hoop in each ear. He stalked the room in huge strides, stopping in front of a now terrified Sam. "Who in the fuck gave you permission to fuck one of _my girls_?"

"Tucker, I'm . . . I'm sorry. Marc told me . . . he told me—"

"He told you what? Speak up, you little pansy waste! What did you tell him?" Tucker now turned his wrath on Marc.

"He was having misgivings, so I . . . I might've told him that he could have one of the girls first. It'll never happen again, Tucker."

"Where are the girls now?" The huge man asked.

"In there," Marc pointed toward the bedroom.

"Then let's go and have a look, shall we?" Now seemingly calm, Tucker slipped an arm amiably around Sam's shoulders as the three men went back to the bedroom. Tucker led Sam to the foot of Paige's bed, where the young brunette was passed out, naked except for her bra and matching panties. "They are both truly lovely. You did good work tonight. So, how was she?" He asked a still terrified Sam.

"She was . . . she was . . . nice."

"Nice? Is that all that you have to say? She was _nice_? You're acting like she was your first or something. Wait!" Tucker's expression was now amused. "Was she your first? How old are you? Twenty-one? Twenty-two? And you were still cherry?"

"Tucker, come on," Marc pleaded.

"Shut up!" Tucker turned on him, snarling. "I haven't even begun to deal with your ass yet. Tell me the truth, Sammy. Was she your first?"

"No. She was my second," he mumbled.

"Well, too bad she's also going to be your last."

The attack happened so fast that Marc barely had time to comprehend what was going on. One minute, Tucker was talking calmly to Sam and the next; he'd produced a straight razor and slashed the young man's throat from ear to ear. The arterial spray covered everything in the room; Marc, Tucker, the walls, and the young women in the two beds. "Grab a robe from the bathroom and wrap her up in it," Tucker pointed at Paige.

"What about the redhead?"

"They don't want a redhead this time. We need to get the hell out of here before we get caught. You've caused me enough trouble for one night. Grab the girl and let's get the hell out of here."

"What about him?"

"I'll deal with him. Do what I tell you before I cut your throat, too."

Marc went into the bathroom and grabbed a robe from the back of the door. He then walked over to the bed and quickly wrapped Paige up in it, hefting her into his arms and leaving the suite, leaving everything else to Tucker.

Tucker stared at the razor he still held in his hand before looking at Alexis. Stepping over to her bed, he wrapped her right hand around the bloody handle before letting it drop to the carpeted floor between the two beds. He then went into the bathroom to clean up as best he could before leaving the room, and finally the suite, getting on the elevator mere minutes before Kate, Lanie, and Jenny.

***CCC***

 _The next morning after Lanie alerted Kate_

"Kate, what's going on?" Jenny walked out of the master bedroom, stopping and starting in shock at the sight of Alexis sitting on the couch with Lanie and Kate on either side of her. "Alexis, are you all right? Is she hurt? Should I call for an ambulance?"

"It's not her blood," Kate assured her friend. "Alexis, where did you go with Paige last night? What is the last thing that you remember?"

"I remember that we went to dinner. Kate, I can't remember where we were after that."

"Jenny, why don't you go and see if you can wake Paige up? Let's see if she remembers anything from last night."

"Can I get some coffee or water? Something?" Alexis begged.

"Sweetie, we'll get you something as soon as we can. You need to get checked out first."

Kate had seen Alexis hung over one time; the night after she'd slept with Rick for the first time. But she knew that this wasn't alcohol induced. At least, not completely. But her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of Jenny's frantic screams coming from the bedroom. "Alexis, stay here," Kate told her as she and Lanie ran toward the sound of the screams. What they encountered looked like something out of a slasher movie. Blood covered the far wall and floor in front of the bed where Paige should've been sleeping. A bloody straight razor lay opened on the floor between the two beds. But most shocking of all was the dead body in Paige's bed and no sign of the young woman anywhere. "I went to wake Paige up . . . and I saw all of the blood . . . and so I pulled back the covers . . . oh god! I'm going to be sick!"

Lanie quickly ushered Jenny into the bathroom and held her hair back while she was violently ill. After a few minutes, Lanie rinsed out a cloth and handed it to Jenny, who wiped her pale face before filling a glass with water and rinsing her mouth out. "Are you okay?"

"Lanie, I don't see how you and Kate do this."

"The first dead body is a shock. And there are still some that shock me even now. Come on, I'll walk you into the living room with Alexis."

Kate stood beside the bed staring at the body of the young man who was lying where Paige should've been. Who was he and where in the hell was Paige? Why was Alexis covered in blood, but otherwise unharmed? These and many more questions were racing through Kate's brain as she unlocked her cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.

Alexis looked up from the sofa when she saw Lanie guiding Jenny to the sofa. "Lanie, what's going on? When can I change clothes?"

"Sweetie, we'll let you change clothes soon. But I'll have to walk you through it because you're evidence."

"Evidence? Evidence of what? Is Paige dead? Lanie, did I blackout and kill her? I don't remember anything!"

"Yes, we're in the Alexander Suite," Kate came out of the room talking on her cell phone. "We need detectives and a crime scene unit. Thank you."

"Kate, is it Paige? Did something happen to Paige?" Alexis was hysterical as Kate came over and sat down beside her.

"Alexis, it's not Paige. I don't know who he is, but he's in Paige's bed and she's missing."

"Is her purse still here? She'd never go anywhere without her purse," Alexis started to get up, staring at Kate defiantly when the detective stopped her. "Kate, I'm going to see if her purse or phone is here."

"Alexis, you can't. That room is a crime scene and I can't let you contaminate the evidence. Speaking of which, we should get some pictures of our own before the AC cops get here."

"Jenny's a great photographer," Lanie volunteered.

"Jenny, get your phone," Kate ordered, seeing her friend visibly blanch. "Jenny, I know it's awful, but I really need your help. Because once the AC cops get here, I'm going to get booted. Jersey cops are notoriously territorial. While we're in the room, I'll see if I can spot Paige's purse."

"Alexis, stay here and try to stay calm," Lanie told her. 

"No, Lanie. You stay with her. See if you can get any evidence from her fingernails before they get here."

"How?"

"I don't know, Lanie. You're going to have to improvise," Kate said, waving for Jenny to follow her with her camera phone.

"Lanie, what if I killed that person and I can't remember? What will happen to me?" Alexis looked at Lanie with the frightened eyes of a child.

"Alexis, I don't know what's going to happen. Let's take things a step at a time, okay?"

"I want my dad. I need to call him. He'll know what to do."

"I think under the circumstances, it might be better to let Kate call him. If he hears how scared you are, he's going to freak out. Kate's used to keeping a level head. Let me see what I have in my makeup case to gather evidence. Please stay where you are," Lanie instructed as she left the room.

In the bedroom, Kate walked Jenny through the rigors of crime scene photography, instructing her to get pictures of every inch of the room from every angle. "Now, we need to get pictures of Alexis," Kate led Jenny back to the living room. "And we need to do it quickly."

In the living room, Lanie was using cotton swabs that she carried with her to get blood evidence from Alexis' body. She then took a pair of nail clippers and gave the young woman an apologetic look before clipping her long, beautifully manicured nails into a small baggie. "Can I please change clothes and take a shower now?" Alexis begged.

"Alexis, you're going to have to wait until after the AC cops are finished with you," Kate knelt in front of her. "I know that you're scared, but hopefully this won't take too much longer and you can shower and change."

"Kate, when are you going to call my dad?"

"Soon."

Alexis startled at the sound of a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Jenny walked to the door and opened it to two men in suits, followed by two more men wearing blue jackets.

"I'm Det. Jack Carver and this is my partner, Det. Danny Jimenez. Did someone in this room report a murder?"

Det. Carver was obviously the older, more experienced detective. He was an African-American in his mid to late 50's while his partner was a Hispanic man in his mid to late 30's. Kate got the impression that Det. Carver was going to be something of a hard-ass.

"I did," Kate walked to the door, producing her badge. "I'm Det. Kate Beckett, NYPD. My daughter and her friend went out last night. Her friend is missing and there's a young man lying dead in the bedroom."

"Do you know the young man?" Det. Carver took out his notepad.

"No, I've never seen him before."

"Is this your daughter?" Det. Jimenez carefully approached Alexis.

"Yes, this is my daughter, Alexis Castle. And these are my friends, Dr. Lanie Parish and Jennifer Ryan."

"Alexis, my name is Danny," Det. Jimenez could tell from her demeanor that the young woman was in a state of shock. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?" She shook her head so he carefully sat at her right side. "Do you know the name of the man in your room?"

"Partner, we should examine the crime scene first," Det. Carver reminded his partner. "Det. Beckett, please stay out of our way."

"Not a problem," Kate took Det. Jimenez's vacated spot.

"Kate, I really want my dad. Can you please call him? He should be here with both of us."

Kate knew that Alexis was right. Right now, she was a scared girl who needed the comfort of a parent. And Kate could use some comfort herself. But she didn't know what she was going to tell him. And was he going to be angry with her for letting something happen to Alexis? She took out her cell. "I'm going to go and call him right now."

"Kate?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"How are we going to find Paige? She's my best friend."

"I know and we're going to find her," Kate pressed a soft kiss to Alexis' forehead. "Let me go and call Castle. Let me know if they come out and have any questions for me."

***CCC***

Paige Livingston opened her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings and a pounding head. "Alexis, how much did we drink last night?" She sat up, expecting to look over at a full-sized bed with her best friend sound asleep. Instead, she was in a queen-sized bed in a room that she'd never seen before. Even more shocking, she was stark naked. Her thighs were sore like she'd just had sex. "Oh, shit! Hello? Is anybody here?"

Stumbling out of bed, Paige yanked the quilt from the bed and wrapped it around herself before going into the living area of the hotel room. It was empty of people, but on the table by the sliding glass windows was evidence that the room had been inhabited by people. By the looks of the empty beer and liquor bottles, several people. Not knowing how long she was going to be alone, Paige knew that she needed to call Alexis to let her know that she was okay. Walking over to the phone, Paige found herself wondering if her friend was okay or if she was in a strange room, too.

Picking up the phone, Paige dialed the number for the hotel switchboard. "Yes, can you connect me with the Alexander Suite, please?"

Upstairs in the Alexander Suite, Detectives Carver and Jimenez came out of the bedroom after examining the crime scene, leaving the CSU techs to do their business. "Alexis, do you know the young man in your room?" Det. Jimenez asked.

"No. I didn't even know anybody was in there until Jenny found his body. We need to find my friend Paige."

"We'll find her. Don't you worry about that," Det. Carver spoke for the first time. "Where did you and your friend Paige go last night?"

"I already told Kate—"

"Well, you're not talking to Kate right now. You're talking to us," Det. Carver's tone was brusque.

"Excuse me," Jenny interrupted as the detective fixed on her with his dark eyes. "Why are you treating her like a suspect?"

"Because until we prove otherwise, she is. Who knows? Maybe you're all in on it together. After all, you have a young woman covered in blood, another young woman who's missing and an unidentified man lying dead in their bedroom. Now, I'm going to ask you again, Ms. Castle. Where did you and your friend go last night?"

"I don't remember. We went to dinner and that's the last thing that I remember until I woke up this morning."

***CCC***

Back at the loft in New York City, Castle was getting ready to do some writing when his cell phone rang. He looked at it, surprised but pleased to see that it was Kate. "Good morning. You miss me already, huh?" His voice was cheerful.

"Castle—"

"What's wrong?" He could tell by the way she said his name that something was off. "Kate, are you all right? Is Alexis all right?"

"I need for you to listen to me carefully and don't ask any questions. First off, I want you to know that Alexis and I are unhurt. But something happened last night, Rick. Alexis and Paige might be in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Alexis woke up this morning covered in blood and we discovered a dead man in Paige's bed, but Paige is nowhere to be found."

"Is that son of a bitch Brandon up there?" Castle snarled into the phone.

"No. Castle, Alexis needs you up here and so do I. Please get up here as soon as you can. The AC detectives and the crime scene are here. I imagine that they're going to want to have Alexis examined at the hospital for drugs and . . . sexual assault. Just get up here, Rick."

"I'm on my way," Castle jumped up from his chair, shoved his phone into his back pocket and ran out of the loft, grabbing a jacket on the way.

Kate hung up on her end and took a deep, shaky breath; looking toward the door when Lanie popped her head in. "Sweetie, you'd better get out here before this detective hauls Alexis out of here in handcuffs."

"What's going on? What're you doing to her?" Kate stormed out of the master bedroom.

"Our jobs, Det. Beckett. Isn't that what you do in the Big Apple?" Det. Carver sneered.

"Yeah, it's what I do but I don't go at _victims_ hard and fast until I learn that I have a reason to. Her father is on his way up here. Should he get her an attorney?"

"That's up to her."

"Did you at least Mirandize her?"

"Um, there wasn't a reason to," Det. Jimenez said.

"Well, if your partner thinks she's a suspect, maybe there is," Kate's eyes were blazing.

Any further argument was interrupted by the sound of the room phone ringing. "That might be Paige," Alexis said hopefully.

"Answer it," Carver instructed her as Alexis got up to answer the phone.

"No, maybe she should just let it _ring_ ," Kate was beyond pissed at these assholes that had been sent to investigate.

"Hello?" Alexis tentatively answered the phone.

"Alexis, thank god!" Paige squealed into the phone. "I woke up naked and I don't know where I am! I think I slept with some strange guy last night, but I don't remember anything."

"Paige," Alexis tried to get a word in, but Paige's high-pitched, excited voice kept going on, sending shooting daggers of pain through her skull. Finally, she'd had enough. "Paige! Paige, would you shut the fuck up! Where are you? The room number should be on the phone."

"Alexis, why are you so pissed? So I picked some guy up or he might have picked me up. My head is fuzzy and I can't remember anything. Where did we go?"

"Paige, the room number! Because we have bigger problems than you waking up in some strange room!"

"No kidding. I don't even know where my clothes are. What kind of idiot steals girls' clothes?"

"Let me have the phone," Det. Jimenez walked over and took the receiver from Alexis. "Ms. Livingston, this is Det. Jimenez from the Atlantic City Police Department. Please tell me what room you are in. Now," he added firmly.

"Okay," Paige drawled. "Room 818."

Det. Carver took out his cell phone. "This is Det. Carver, badge number 6819. We're going to need another CSU team to meet us in Room 818 of the Trump Taj Mahal. We might have another possible crime scene. We're also going to need a female detective to come to the Alexander Suite to escort a possible rape victim to the ER." He hung up and looked at Kate, who was sitting beside Alexis, holding her hand. "We're going to go down to the other crime scene and talk to Ms. Livingston. Afterward, we'll take her to the ER. There'll be another detective arriving soon to escort Ms. Castle to the hospital. Will you be staying in the hotel or will you be returning to the city?"

"I don't know. That's going to depend on a lot of things. Give me your card and I'll call you when we're done at the hospital."

"Okay," Carver handed her his card as Jimenez did the same. Kate then handed them each one of her cards. "I'm sorry if I came across the way that I did. As you know, this isn't always an easy job."

"No, it's not. But at least I think of the victims first." Kate waited until the two detectives left before slipping an arm around Alexis' shoulders and pulling her close. "Your dad's going to be here in a couple of hours. As soon as they finish with you at the hospital, you can shower and change your clothes."

"Kate, what if one of us did something to that person in there?" Alexis pointed toward the bedroom where CSU was still gathering evidence, the yellow crime scene tape stretched across the doorway. "Why can't I remember anything?"

"Alexis, we're going to figure this out. Right now, let's get you checked out and make sure that you're okay."

"Paige sounded absolutely cheerful. She can't remember anything, but she still thinks that she just had hot sex with some random guy. How can she act like everything's okay?" Alexis buried her head in her hands.

"Because she didn't wake up covered in blood like you did," Lanie said.

A few minutes later there was another knock on the door. Lanie opened it to a young female woman standing there. "I'm Det. Liz Fletcher. I'm here to escort a possible assault victim to the hospital."

"Hi," Kate held out her hand. "I'm Det. Kate Beckett and this is my daughter, Alexis Castle. Something happened here last night and we need to find out what."

"Hi, Alexis. You can call me Liz. I'm going to make sure that you get through this with as little embarrassment as possible. Are you ready?"

"I . . . I think so."

"Lanie, Rick's on his way. When he gets here, tell him that we're going to be . . . where are we going to be?" Kate looked at Liz for guidance.

"AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center," Liz filled in for her.

"We'll tell him, honey. You go and see to Alexis."

"Thanks," Kate reached for Alexis' hand, happy and relieved when Alexis clasped her hand in Kate's. But she knew that they'd both feel so much better when Castle arrived. He was the rock for both of them and they badly needed that rock now.

 **A/N #4: I was watching 'The Final Frontier' with commentary yesterday and Nathan made a comment about how much real cops get irritated with 'Castle' because he said they're constantly contaminating crime scenes. But, do we really watch the show for the case of the week?**

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	5. Disturbing News

**DISCLAIMERS: No, I don't own 'Castle.' If I did, let's just say I'd be living alone.**

 **SUMMARY: Kate learns some disturbing news regarding the attacks on Alexis and Paige.**

 **A/N #1: This chapter has a hard 'T' rating for language.**

 **Finding a Purpose**

 **Chapter 5: Disturbing News**

Paige Livingston was wrapped in a blanket in a chair in the strange hotel room that she'd awakened in. The cop on the phone had made it pretty clear by his tone that she was to stay where she was and wait for them. Why were the cops involved? Why did Alexis sound so pissed off when she'd called? And where in the hell were her clothes? Her scattered thoughts were interrupted by a loud rap on the door. She got out of the chair, dragging her blanket behind her. "Who is it?"

"Atlantic City Police, Ms. Livingston. My name is Det. Jimenez. I spoke to you a few minutes ago. Please let us in."

Paige opened the door, allowing the two police detectives into the room. "Did something happen? I don't understand why Alexis called the police."

"Do you know a man by the name of Sam Riley?" Det. Carver asked.

"No. Look, now that you're here, can I go upstairs and get something to wear? I don't know where my clothes are. I don't know how I got in this room."

"What's the last thing that you do remember?" Carver continued asking the questions.

"Uh, we went to dinner downstairs at an Italian restaurant. I can't remember the name of it."

"Did you have anything to drink at dinner?"

"No, I had iced tea. Can I please go and get dressed now?"

"We'll have someone bring you some clean clothes at the hospital."

"The hospital? I'm not hurt. I probably had too much to drink last night, but I'm fine."

"Ms. Livingston, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to tell you. A man was found murdered upstairs in the suite where you were staying with Ms. Castle. It's possible that both you and Ms. Castle might've been drugged."

"You mean like with roofies?" Paige was stunned.

"Yes, that's what I mean. There'll be someone here shortly who will take you to the hospital to be examined and to have blood drawn."

"I can't go to the hospital dressed like this," she motioned to the blanket wrapped around her.

"Jack, maybe one of those ladies that were staying up there might have something she can wear," Det. Jimenez felt a great deal of sympathy for this young woman who now seemed so much younger than her years.

"Call up there."

Det. Jimenez called upstairs where Lanie answered the phone. "Dr. Parish, this is Det. Jimenez. I was wondering if either of you ladies might have something that Ms. Livingston can wear to the hospital? We still can't locate her clothes and since CSU is still processing the crime scene, I doubt they'll allow you in to get her something to wear."

"I probably have something she can wear," Lanie said. "How is she?"

"Terrified now that she has been apprised of the situation. We're in Room 818." 

"I'll be down there in a few minutes," Lanie hung up and looked at Jenny, who was sitting stiffly on the sofa, her hands pressed between her knees. "I'm going to see if I can find something for Paige to wear to the hospital and then I think I'm going to accompany her. The poor girl has to be scared to death. Do you think you'll be okay until Castle gets here?"

"Yeah, but what if they want me to leave?" Jenny nodded her head toward the bedroom where the techs were still working.

"You should be all right unless you get in their way. When Castle gets here, you can come to the hospital with him."

"Okay."

Downstairs in Room 818, the chaos increased with the arrival of CSU techs, which immediately began processing both Paige and the crime scene. Overwhelmed by all of attention and by the news of the dead body in their hotel room, Paige was on the verge of tears by the time Lanie arrived with the clothes. "Dr. Parish, how did someone end up dead in our room? I don't remember anything," Paige broke down in tears as Lanie wrapped her arms around her and held her.

"Sweetie, I don't know. Change into these and I'll take you to the hospital. Kate and Alexis are already there."

"We have someone on their way to take Ms. Livingston," Det. Carver interrupted.

"Can't you see that this poor girl is traumatized enough? The last thing she needs is to be messed with by more strangers!" Lanie was livid. She'd had enough of these cops and their callous attitude toward two young women who were obviously victims. "Come on, sweetie. I'll help you get into these." Lanie guided Paige toward the nearby bathroom.

***CCC***

Jared Tucker stepped off of the elevator, strolling casually toward Room 818 with an older man at his side. "You should see this girl," he was telling his associate. "She is sweet."

"How old?"

"Twenty-one. She's sweet and _tight_ ," Tucker sighed happily in remembrance. "I have a feeling she's going to be a huge favorite."

"You say on phone that she looks much younger," the man said in his broken English.

"Oh, yeah. Put her in some pigtails and knee socks, she could pass for 13 or 14 easy," Tucker stopped short when he saw people walking out of his room. "Fuck!" He muttered before quickly grabbing his associate by the arm and turning around, walking quickly back the way they'd come.

"What is wrong? Why you say 'fuck' like something is wrong?"

Tucker held out his hand to stop the man from saying anything further as he quickly pulled out his cell phone and hit a number in his contacts. "Hey, where in the hell are you?" He snarled when the other party answered.

Marc Gabrielle groaned and sat up in bed, the girl beside him protesting when he pulled the sheets off of her. "I'm at home. I have to be at work this afternoon."

"You're at _home_? Are you a fucking imbecile? You left our girl alone?"

"Man, would you relax. The last time I checked on her, she was out cold. What's your major malfunction?"

"My major malfunction is this, numbnuts," Tucker got on the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. "I just approached Room 818 and the cops are traipsing in and out. There's crime scene tape across the doorway! I've got a dude with me that was going to pay me 30g's for her. I'm going to beat that money out of you."

"Shit," Marc ran a hand through his hair. "Look Tucker, I'll make this right. I swear it."

"Dude, it's too late for that," Tucker ended the call.

"What is problem?" The man beside him asked. "You promised me girl. Where is girl?"

"I'll find you another girl."

"Three girls," the man held up three fingers to empathize his point. "I want three girls by Friday. I want to go back home with three new girls."

"Three girls will cost you 75."

"No, three girls, same price."

"No. If you want three girls, the price is 75," Tucker argued.

"How do I know you won't lose these girls? You already lost the new one."

"That wasn't me. That was the asshole I had watching her."

"Then you need to get better babysitters. Three girls by Friday, Mr. Tucker. And the price is 30. Call me when you have my product," the man strode off of the elevator toward the exit.

"Son of a bitch!" Tucker spat as he also headed for the exit to contemplate what his next move was going to be.

***CCC***

Alexis stared at the ceiling in the trauma room at the hospital, wishing that this nightmare would hurry up and end. She'd had blood drawn and was now undergoing the indignity of a SART kit. "Okay, Alexis. I'm all done," the female P.A. gently removed Alexis' legs from the stirrups and helped her to sit up. "I'll go and let your mom come in while I go find you some scrubs to wear back to the hotel."

"Thank you. Can I ask you a question? Was I . . . did anything happen?" Alexis nodded toward the kit the P.A. held in her hand.

"There's no sign of any assault. Let me go get Mrs. Castle. Do you have a color preference in terms of scrubs?"

"It doesn't matter. At least they'll be clean."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Kate was sitting outside of the trauma room, staring at her phone when the P.A. came out. "How is Alexis? Was the kit positive?"

"I need to give this to the investigating detectives, but I'll tell you that there aren't any signs of sexual assault. You can go in to be with Alexis. I'm going to find her some scrubs."

Alexis was sitting on the side of the gurney when Kate walked in a few minutes later. "Have you heard from my dad?"

"No, but he should be here soon. The P.A. said that the test was negative."

"Then why do I still feel so filthy?"

"Hey," Kate sat beside her and reached for her hand, "we're going to figure this out. Alexis, I'm so sorry."

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I should've insisted that you and Paige stay with us. I brought you here. You and Paige. You're my family now. That means—"

"Kate, what happened wasn't your fault. I don't blame you and I know that my dad won't. Did you really expect two 21-year-olds to want to hang with a group of 30-something's?" Alexis made a face which made Kate laugh. "I just wish I could remember something; anything about last night."

"I was told once that some things are best not being remembered."

"So, you're saying that maybe its better if I don't ever remember?"

"Exactly."

***CCC***

Castle screeched to a stop in front of the hotel and quickly jumped out of his car as a valet rushed up to assist him. "Welcome to the Trump Taj Majal," the valet's voice was annoyingly cheerful as he handed a ticket stub to Castle. "Enjoy your stay, sir."

Castle ran into the hotel and over to the elevator, where he was stopped by a burly, no-nonsense security guard. "May I see your key card, please?"

"I'm not a guest," Castle tried to explain. "My wife and daughter are staying in the Alexander Suite this weekend. My wife called me this morning to say that something had happened—"

"Hold on," the guard took out his walkie-talkie. "Joe, I need for you to call up to the Alexander Suite and ask if they know a . . . I'm sorry, sir. What is your name?"

"Castle, Rick Castle."

"Joe, ask them if they know a Rick Castle." The guard replaced his walkie-talkie and looked at Castle. "It'll be one moment, sir."

A few seconds later, a voice came over the guard's walkie-talkie. "Let him up, Mel."

"Roger that. You're good to go, Mr. Castle," the guard stepped aside as Castle got on the elevator.

A minute later, he got off of the elevator and began walking toward the room, where Jenny Ryan was already waiting with the door opened. "Rick, thank god you're here," she breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped aside to let Castle into the suite.

"Where are Kate and Alexis? Are they okay? Kate wouldn't tell me—" Castle stopped speaking when he saw the yellow crime scene tape across one of the doorways. "What happened?"

"Rick, Kate and Alexis are fine. But something happened with the two girls last night. When Alexis woke up this morning, she was covered in blood and there was a strange man dead in the other bed."

"Where is she?"

"AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. Kate said I should go up there with you so I can get out of their way," Jenny said, nodding toward the bedroom.

"Let's go."

***CCC***

"Dr. Parish?" Paige had pulled on the clothes Lanie had brought her to wear to the hospital, grateful that the awful tests were over.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Are you sure that Alexis is okay?"

"She's not hurt. Like you, she's in shock. Did you want to call your parents?"

"They're going to kill me."

"Paige, you should have someone up here with you. I think that you should call them."

"You don't understand," tears rimmed the young woman's eyes. "They're going to be so pissed at me. Especially my dad. He's constantly telling me how irresponsible I am. That I don't pay enough attention to what's going on around me. He's always asking me why I can't be more like my friends."

"Would you rather have me or Kate call them for you?"

"Not right now," she shook her head. "Are we going to stay in that same room?"

"No, it's a crime scene. Either the hotel will move us or more likely, we'll just go back to the city."

"Going home sounds good, but I still don't want to go back to my house."

"I'm sure Alexis will be happy to let you stay there at the loft."

"I'm not so sure, Dr. Parish. What if she blames me?"

"Paige, whatever happened last night isn't either your fault or Alexis'. And please, call me Lanie. Let's get out of here and see if we can find Alexis and Kate."

"Okay."

Down the hall, Alexis and Kate were talking to Det. Liz Fletcher, the young detective who had escorted them to the hospital. "What happens now?" Alexis asked.

"Det. Carver and Jimenez are going to look at the security tapes from last night. The good thing about staying in a casino is that there are cameras everywhere. We're going to find whoever did this to you and your friend, Alexis. I promise you that."

"So, you don't think that I did it?" Alexis couldn't even say the word 'murder.'

"No, Alexis. But until we know for sure, you or Paige can't be ruled out as suspects."

"Alexis, I need to talk to Det. Fletcher alone, so we're going to step over here," Kate pointed to a spot not too far away. She waited until the other detective had joined her before she spoke again. "This isn't the first time this has happened, is it?"

"This is the first time there's been a murder, but no, this isn't the first time it's happened. Three other girls have reported waking up in strange rooms at the hotel with no memory of what happened the night before. Det. Beckett, the dead man matches the description that we'd received from two of the girls."

"So, he was working with a partner and the partner probably double-crossed him," Kate guessed.

"That would be my theory. But, until Carver and Jimenez finish looking at the videos from last night, we won't know for certain."

Kate was about to say something further when a voice stopped her. "Alexis!" Kate's heart jumped into her throat at the sight of Castle running toward his daughter, wrapping her tightly in his arms.

"Your husband?" Det. Fletcher guessed as Kate nodded. "Go and fill him in. I promise that I'll keep you informed."

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Kate shook the other detective's hand before going over to join Rick and Alexis.

"Castle, thank god you're here," Kate joined her husband and daughter for a group hug.

"What in the hell is going on? Jenny filled me in on the way over here, but nothing made any sense. Why weren't the girls with you last night?"

"Dad, this wasn't Kate's fault," Alexis defended her. "Paige and I wanted to explore on our own. The important thing is we weren't hurt. At least not physically."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Castle tightened his grip on Alexis, holding her so tightly to his chest that Alexis finally had to pull away so that she could breathe.

Kate's cell phone rang, so she stepped away to answer it. "Beckett," she answered. "Thank you." She hung up and walked back over to Castle and Alexis. "CSU is done processing the scene. The hotel is going to put us up in another room unless you want to go back home."

"Are they going to let me and Paige go back to the city?" Alexis asked.

"Alexis, if they need you, we'll bring you back. In fact, I think I'm going to stay and see what they find on the videos. Why don't you go back to the city with your dad?"

"Where are Lanie and Paige?" Castle asked.

"Right here," Lanie made her presence known by walking up with Paige and Jenny. "What were you saying about staying here?"

"I want to see what they find on the videos."

"Kate, they're not going to let you help with their investigation," Castle reminded her.

"I didn't say I was going to help. I want to see the videos. Why don't you all go back with Rick and Alexis? I'll try to be home by tonight."

"Kate—" Castle tried in vain to stop her.

"Go, Rick," she pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'll pack up our things and check out. Alexis needs you and you should be with her."

"Kate, I'll stay and help," Lanie volunteered.

"No, Lanie—"

"Girl, I don't want to hear any arguments."

"Fine. Jenny, when you get back to the city, can you ask Kevin to call me?"

"Sure, Kate."

"I promise that I won't be too late," she grabbed Castle's hand, squeezing his fingers.

"Okay. I'll see you later," he kissed her before slipping his arm around Alexis and guiding her toward the exit.

"So, what's our first move?" Lanie asked when they were alone.

"We're going back to the hotel and asking Det. Carver why he didn't tell me that they had a possible serial rapist in that hotel."

"I'll get our things together while you talk to them," Lanie told her as they exited the hospital and hailed a cab back to the hotel.

***CCC***

When they got back to the hotel, Lanie went back upstairs while Kate placed a call to Det. Carver. A few minutes later, the elevator opened and the detective walked off and over to Kate. "Our lab is processing the SART kits from your daughter and Ms. Livingston," he told her.

"That's not why I'm here. Why didn't you tell me that there's a serial rapist in this hotel?"

"Because at the time it didn't seem relevant. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah. I want to look at the surveillance videos from last night." She quickly continued when she saw him start to hesitate. "Come on, Carver. Three sets of eyes have got to be better than two. I promise that I'll give you guys all of the credit when you nail this sicko."

"Come on," he motioned her toward the elevator and up to the room where the eye in the sky was in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The number of video monitors took Kate by surprise. "They set us up over here. What time did you ladies finish dinner last night? That'll help us set up a timeline."

"It was about 8:30. After dinner, we went to the room and changed clothes, so it was closer to 9:00 when we came back out onto the casino floor."

It took another two hours of painstaking searching before they finally found the feed that showed the ladies coming off of the elevator. "There's Alexis and Paige," Kate pointed out the images of the two girls strolling through the hotel.

They found the video showing the girls walking to the bar and sitting at the video poker machine. They watched the waiter come up to their table and start talking to them. "There's our dead guy," Jimenez pointed out. "He's obviously flirting with the girls. Look at her reaction," he nodded toward Paige, who was smiling and flipping her hair flirtatiously.

"Wait! What is he doing now?" Kate asked, as they watched Sam point toward the bar. "Which monitor is watching the bar?"

"Right here," Carver nodded as they watched the video of the bar and the bartender. "Okay, Paige is now sitting at the bar. Who in the hell does this guy think he is? Tom Cruise?"

"Cute trick," Kate said under her breath as they watched Marc tossing the bottles around behind the bar. "Watch. He put two drinks on the bar."

"It doesn't look like he doctored them," Carver noticed.

"Unless he did it from under the bar."

"Did you talk to Alexis after your group split from her and Paige?" Jimenez asked.

"Yeah, Alexis called me at about 10 or so. She sounded . . . off," Kate remembered.

"What do you mean by 'off?'" Carver asked.

"She just didn't sound like she normally does."

"Let's keep watching the tapes," Carver instructed.

It was approximately 20 minutes into the footage that they noticed the first signs that something was wrong with the girls. They continued watching as Alexis took out her cell phone. "That must've been when she called me," Kate said as they continued watching.

The two girls then got up and staggered toward the elevator. They saw Paige show the guard her key card while Alexis dug through her purse for hers. "Check it out," Jimenez said as they watched first the waiter and then moments later, the bartender come up to the two girls. "Where's the bartender taking your daughter?" Jimenez wondered out loud as they watched Marc guide Alexis back toward the bar. "He's trying to get the two girls separated. It makes them easier targets."

"Is this how they did it with the other victims?" Kate asked; her voice brittle.

"Yeah," Carver admitted.

"Notice how the bartender is now wearing a hat to make it harder for the cameras to identify him? Jimenez pointed at the fedora that was hanging low over Marc's eyes, obscuring his features.

"Yeah, but we got a clear look at him while he was working the bar. Let's go down and start interviewing the staff at that bar," Carver got up and began to walk away.

Kate was about to follow Carver and Jimenez when something caught her eye. "Wait! I know this guy!"

Carver and Jimenez stopped in their tracks and turned back to the monitors where they watched a young man, obviously intoxicated, arguing with the guard at the elevator. "You said that you know him?" Carver asked Kate, who nodded. "Who is he?"

"Brandon Scott. He's Paige's boyfriend. What in the hell does he have to do with all of this?"

 **A/N #2: The plot thickens. Thanks again to Kelly for all of her suggestions and for taking the time to read my chapters to let me know what works and what doesn't.**

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	6. Trying to Find Answers

**DISCLAIMERS: Sorry to say, but 'Castle' isn't mine.**

 **SUMMARY: Beckett assists Carver and Jimenez with their investigation, much to Castle's dismay. Alexis begins to worry about Paige.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 6: TRYING TO FIND ANSWERS**

Driving back to New York City, there was total silence in Castle's car. Alexis was sitting in the front passenger seat, still dressed in the scrubs that she'd been given at the hospital. In the back seat, Paige and Jenny were equally silent.

Castle glanced over at Alexis, who every now and then would wipe at her eyes like she didn't want her father to see her tears. It was at times like this that he wished that she was still five and the only reason she'd be crying was after scraping her knee at the park. Now she was a grown woman who had undergone a traumatic experience that she couldn't remember. He didn't even know how to begin to help her through it. "Are any of you hungry? We could stop and get a late breakfast."

"No, but thank you, Rick. I really just want to get home to Kevin and Sarah Grace," Jenny answered.

"I'm not hungry, Mr. Castle. But, thank you."

"Alexis?"

"I just want to go home, dad. Besides, I'm hardly dressed for a restaurant," Alexis grimaced at the thin light blue scrubs that she was wearing.

After dropping Jenny off at hers' and Kevin's apartment, Rick turned to look at Paige, who was still sitting silently in the backseat. "Paige, are you coming to the loft or should I drop you off at home?"

"I'm going to have to face my parents eventually, so maybe you should just take me home."

"Paige, do you think it would help if I came in and talked to them?" Castle asked.

"And tell them what, Mr. Castle? That I woke up naked in a strange room with no memory of anything that happened? No, thank you. Alexis, will you call me later?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later," Alexis' answer was robotic.

"Alexis, I'm so, so sorry," Paige's voice was tear-choked.

"I know, Paige. Right now, I'm just really tired and really confused. I promise that I'll call you later."

After dropping Paige off, Castle drove him and Alexis home. The moment that they entered the apartment, Alexis ran upstairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.

For one fleeting moment, Castle thought about going up after her, but then he thought better of it. Instead he took out his phone and called Kate, who answered her phone on the first ring. "Hi, babe. Did you get home okay?"

"Yeah, we just got here. How's it going up there?"

"Well, we talked to the guard who was standing in front of the elevators last night. He said that our victim took Paige upstairs first, and then the bartender followed with Alexis about 10 minutes later. Castle, there's something more."

"What? Was there a third guy?"

"Not exactly. Brandon Scott was here in the casino. Apparently, he was watching the girls because he tried to go upstairs shortly after the bartender went upstairs with Alexis. He tried to tell the guard that the girls were in trouble. But he was so drunk and became so belligerent that the guard called the Atlantic City police. He's still sleeping it off, but we're about to go and talk to him. How's Alexis?"

"I don't know how to talk to her, Kate. She didn't say a word coming home. What do I say to her?"

"Castle, I know that this is hard. But, believe me when I tell you that if she needs you, Alexis will seek you out. Let her come to you in her own way. Please don't push."

"Okay, I won't push," he sighed. "I just want her to know that I'm there for her."

"She knows that. Look, I'm going to go and talk to Brandon since I sort of have a relationship with him. Carver and Jimenez's captain has already told me that that's as far as I can assist them. They've promised to keep me informed."

"So, you'll be home soon?"

"I should be home in a few hours. I told Lanie to just go back to the city, so she should be there with our bags soon. I'll fill you and Alexis in on everything when I get home. Is Paige there?"

"No, she had me take her home. I offered to talk to her parents, but she decided that she needed to do it on her own."

"I've got to go. Jimenez and I are going to go and talk to Brandon. I'll call you when I'm on my way home."

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon."

Castle put his phone back in his pocket and looked toward the stairs. Taking a deep breath, he decided to go upstairs to try to talk to Alexis. Standing outside of her bedroom door, he tentatively knocked. When he received no answer, he slowly opened her door and stepped inside. "Alexis?" He called out, seeing that her bathroom door was closed.

"I'm taking a bath," he heard her muffled reply. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay. Is it all right if I sit out here and wait?"

Inside of the bathroom, Alexis scrubbed her pale skin until it was red and raw. But she still could see the blood, even though she'd washed all of it off. She felt filthy, even though the P.A. at the hospital had told her that she hadn't been assaulted. She finally pulled the plug, draining the water from the tub. She climbed out of the tub and dried herself with a fluffy bath towel, wincing at the pain in her arms and legs where she'd scrubbed them so hard. Slipping on her robe and grabbing a bottle of lotion, she opened her bedroom door. "Dad, I'm okay," she walked over to her dresser, removing underwear before going over to her closet.

"No, you're not. It's okay to talk about it."

"Talk about what? I don't remember anything! How many times do I have to say that? If I remembered what happened, I'd tell you; I'd tell Kate; I'd tell those two detectives who treated me like I was a mass murderer. But I can't remember. I woke up covered in blood, but I can't remember how I ended up like that."

"I feel so helpless," Castle's eyes misted over as he watched Alexis. "I've always been your go-to guy."

"I know," she sat down beside him. "Believe me when I tell you that by being here when I need you, you're still being my go-to guy. Just keep being there when I need you until I'm ready to talk. Okay?"

"Okay. How about some ice cream?"

"Thanks, but I think I'm going to try to get some sleep."

"Will you come get me if you need me?"

"Yes. Dad?"

"Yeah, sweetie?" He turned at her bedroom door.

"Thank you."

"Anytime. Try to get some rest."

***CCC***

Kevin Ryan was sitting in stunned silence on his living room couch, listening to the tale that his teary-eyed, rapidly pacing wife was telling him. "Let me get this straight. Alexis woke up this morning covered in blood with no sign of Paige anywhere. And then Beckett had you take pictures of the crime scene? What in the hell was she thinking?"

"I don't know. Kevin, it was awful. How do you do that every day? I had to run out of the room and throw up. Anyway, Kate wants you to call her."

"Yeah, that's good, because I have a few choice words to throw her way, too," Kevin took out his phone and hit Beckett's number.

Kate answered on the second ring. "Ryan, thanks for getting—"

"Beckett, what in the hell were you thinking asking my _wife_ to take pictures of a crime scene? Are you out of your mind?"

"Ryan, I understand that you're angry, but I needed to get pictures before the AC cops showed up. Speaking of which, I learned that this attack on Alexis and Paige wasn't the first attack to take place in this hotel. I need for you and Espo to look into the other attacks."

"Beckett, what about Gates? You know that she's going to shut this down if she gets wind of it."

"So, we don't tell her."

"Wrong. We do tell her and see what she says. If she shuts it down, we can always turn it over to Castle. After all, he does still have his P.I. license, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he does. Actually, that's a great idea, Ryan. After all, we all know that being that Alexis is one of the victims, he's going to get involved, anyway. Can you get started on the other attacks? I should be back in the city in a few hours. I'm going with one of the detectives to question a possible eyewitness. I'll call you when I get back. And tell Jenny that I owe her big time."

"Yes, you do," Ryan agreed, ending the call.

"Are you ready to go and talk to Mr. Scott?" Det. Jimenez asked after she put her phone away.

"Let's go."

Brandon Scott was sitting in a holding cell with four other men when a jail guard unlocked the door. "Scott, you're free to go!" He called out.

"What? I called my dad last night and he told me that he wasn't bailing me out. Who posted my bail?"

"Do I look like the All-Seeing, All-Knowing?" The guard sneered. "All they told me was that your bail had been posted and for me to let you go. So, I'm letting you go."

But when Brandon walked out and saw who was waiting for him, he started to turn around and let himself be taken back to the holding cells. "What're you doing here?" He groaned.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Kate answered.

"Let me guess; you're the one who posted my bail."

"Brandon, this is Det. Jimenez from the Atlantic City P.D. Alexis and Paige is in some trouble. We're hoping you can clear some things up for us."

"Does it have anything to do with the two dudes who took them upstairs?"

"Yes, it does."

"Buy me something to eat and I'll answer anything that you need."

The three of them went into a coffee shop a couple of blocks away. Kate and Jimenez had coffee while Brandon ordered a meal. "I tried to tell that guard in front of the elevators that they were in trouble, but he wouldn't let me go upstairs," Brandon said between bites.

"Did you hear anything that happened at the bar?" Kate asked.

"No," Brandon shook his head. "I didn't want Paige to see me, so I hung back. I know that the bartender wanted the waiter to play it hot and heavy with them."

"Did Paige invite you?" Jimenez asked.

"No, but she told me where she was going to be, so she might as well have."

"Brandon, she didn't tell you where she was going to be as an open invitation. She told you so that you wouldn't worry," Kate said.

"Am I in trouble?"

"As much as I'd love to nail you to the wall for being a skeevy stalker, the answer is no. In fact, I wished that you could've convinced that guard that the girls were in trouble. But I'm going to say this one time, so make sure that you hear me. Loosen your hold on Paige. You can date a girl without being so possessive that she can't breathe. That isn't love, Brandon. What you're doing to Paige is a how-to on why restraining orders are issued."

"How much trouble are they in? Was either of them hurt?"

"Physically, they're fine. But it's a lot more complicated than that and I really can't get into it right now. Did you drive down?"

"Yes."

"Then, when you leave here, you need to get your car and drive yourself back to New York City. Stay away from Paige until she's ready to see you."

"Yes, ma'am."

"So, do you think he'll take heed of your advice?" Jimenez asked after Brandon left the diner.

"I hope so. Well, I've been told that my part in this ended once we talked to Brandon. Please keep me informed so that I can keep the girls in the loop."

"I will. I'm sorry that this happened to your daughter and her friend, Det. Beckett. For what it's worth, I enjoyed our brief partnership. I'd heard good things about you. It was great to see you in action," he stood up and shook her hand.

"Thank you, Det. Jimenez."

"Thank you, Det. Beckett. I'll stay in touch."

***CCC***

"I swear, Robert, ever since her thirteenth birthday, that girl has been nothing but trouble!"

Paige was sitting in her bedroom with her hands over her ears, attempting to shut out the sounds of her parents arguing in the next room. She had told them what had happened to her the night before. Or what she knew of what had happened the night before. Instead of comforting her, as she was sure Alexis' father had done for her, her father's expression had turned to stone and her mother had turned pale. And that was when the arguing and the recriminations had started. Paige had quickly fled the room, waiting for the air to clear. From prior experiences of this nature, she knew that could take several hours or even several days.

"How in the hell did she get caught in the middle of a murder? A murder, Robert! How does she get in these situations?"

"Caroline, you heard what she said. She doesn't remember. You know what happens to young girls who go to bars. They get slipped drugs all of the time. Maybe we should call Dr. Samuelson and get her tested."

"Why do you always take her side? This isn't the first time we've had problems with Paige and her drinking! Remember the Halloween party she attended when she was 16? And then all of the other parties she's gone to since starting college. Next you're going to suggest that maybe we should call that awful intervention show on TV and parade our dirty laundry in front of millions of people."

"What do you expect her to do, Caroline? Sit in her dorm room and study all of the time?"

"I'm sure that's what Alexis Castle does," Caroline Livingston walked around the living room, picking up various objects and replacing them. "Alexis was the class valedictorian while Paige barely got her diploma."

"Yet, Alexis is also mixed up in this mess. How do you explain that?"

"I'm sure that Paige dragged her to some bar and Alexis went because she didn't want Paige to go alone."

"Enough, mom!" Paige came out of her room. "I don't remember what happened! Alexis doesn't remember what happened! But we are fairly certain that someone put something in our drinks and probably raped both of us! Don't you care about that? Don't you care about me?"

"Of course I do, Paige," her mother walked over and tried to put her hands on Paige's shoulders, only to be shrugged off. "I'm just concerned about all of this wild partying that you've been doing."

"Mom, I'm not doing 'wild partying,' as you put it. I also didn't almost flunk out of high school. I graduated with a 3.5 GPA. That's B's, mom. If I didn't have a good GPA, I certainly wouldn't have got into Columbia. And maybe if you think that Alexis Castle is so perfect, maybe you should talk to Mr. Castle about adopting her."

With that Paige turned and went back to her room, slamming the door behind her. "She's right, you know," Robert Livingston looked at his wife. "She's not her sister and brother, Caroline. Paige has always marched to the beat of her own drummer and she always will."

Paige went into her bathroom and took her fourth shower since returning home a couple of hours before. Like Alexis had, she scrubbed her skin until it was raw and bleeding in places. Afterwards, she pulled on her softest nightshirt and threw herself on her bed, crying until she had no tears left. After her tears subsided, she took out her cell phone and called Alexis. "How are you?" She asked when her best friend answered the phone.

"Awful. You?"

"I just took another shower. I can't get clean, Alexis. I told my mom and dad."

"What did they say?"

"Predictably, my mother went ballistic and is all but threatening to send me to rehab. My father is trying to be the voice of calm and reason. Have you talked to your dad about it?"

"He wants to, but I don't even know where to start. He did say that Kate should be home soon. I'm hoping that she can fill in some of the missing pieces."

"Alexis, I'm so sorry."

"Paige, what're you talking about?"

"I just know that somehow whatever happened is my fault. If you hadn't invited me this weekend, then you would've been hanging out with Kate and her friends. You wouldn't have been with me and none of this would've happened. I'm such a loser, Alexis!"

"Paige, stop!" Alexis sat up straight against her headboard, her phone clutched in her hand. "Listen to me. We did everything right last night. We did everything just like they told us in freshman orientation. We went out together. I don't know how we got separated, but it wasn't due to anything that either of us did wrong. And you're not a loser. You're my very best friend. You're going to be the godmother of my kids just like I'm going to be godmother to yours; just like we talked about in third grade."

"Alexis, what if either of us is pregnant from last night? What then?"

Alexis wasn't about to tell Paige that her kit was negative. "Paige, if that happens, then we'll deal with it. I'll stand by you, just like I know you'll stand by me. Because that's what best friends do."

"Alexis, if I'm pregnant, my mother will kill me. She's constantly comparing me to Claire. Do you remember when she found my birth control pills?"

"Paige, it'll be all right. Do you want to come over? We can eat ice cream and watch Rom-Com's."

"No, I'd better stay here. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Alexis ended the call and flopped over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Paige was constantly being compared to her older brother and sister. Being an only child, Alexis was used to being compared to her father at the same age. But she was pretty sure her father had never been drugged in a bar. She didn't even know how she could begin to talk to him about what had happened last night.

***CCC***

Det. Carver was on his way to the bar where the girls had been the night before when his cell phone rang. "Carver!" He answered in a brusque tone.

"Det. Carver, this is Neely in the lab. I just tested both rape kits from last night. Ms. Castle's was negative for fluids, but there was semen from two different donors in Ms. Livingston's kit. I'm running the DNA now to see if we can get a match to anybody in the system."

"Thanks, Neely. Keep me posted," Carver stowed his phone before stepping up to the bar and showing his shield to the young man behind the counter. "I'm Det. Carver, ACPD. I need to know who was working here last night between nine and eleven."

"Marc Gabrielle was supposed to have worked from nine until six this morning when I came in. But when I got here, one of the bartenders was working the bar. He said that Marc had him take over while he took a break, only he never came back."

"What is this bartender's name?" Carver took out his notepad and pen.

"David Benson. Hold on and I'll get you his contact information."

"Thanks."

Moments later, the bartender handed Carver a piece of paper with Benson's contact information neatly written on it.

An hour later, Carver found himself sitting across the table from David Benson, who looked tired. "What time did Gabrielle ask you to take over for him?"

"I'm not sure. It was sometime after ten. I only thought he was going to be gone half an hour or so, but he never came back. I tried to call his cell, but it kept going to voicemail."

"Did you happen to see either of these two young ladies last night?"

"Yeah, I saw her," he pointed at Alexis' picture. "That was why Marc was taking the break. He said that this girl was drunk and he was going to help her up to her room. It's not the first time one of the bartenders has assisted an intoxicated guest to their room. Are these girls okay?"

"How well do you know Mr. Gabrielle?"

"Not that well. I mean, we're not best buds. I've worked with him at the different bars around the casino floor. But we don't hang out after work or anything like that."

"Well, thanks for coming in, Mr. Benson. If I have any more questions, I'll contact you."

***CCC***

Castle was sitting in his office when he glanced up and saw Alexis standing there. "Hey, sweetie," he got up and walked over to her.

"Have you heard from Kate?"

"Yeah, she called about an hour ago to say that she was on her way back home. She should be back soon."

"Dad, I know that you want to talk about this, but I don't even know where to start."

"Come here," he led her over to the couch in his office and pulled her down next to him. "You can tell me anything. You know that."

"Dad, how do you talk about something that you don't remember?"

"I don't know."

"I didn't even know that I had blood all over me until I went into the front room of the suite. Then I saw it and I freaked. Then we couldn't find Paige and at first I thought that maybe it was her blood. Dad, I thought that I'd killed her."

"But you didn't. Have you talked to her since she got home?"

"A little while ago. She said her mother is going ballistic and blaming everything on her."

"Alexis, you have to admit that Paige hasn't always shown the best judgment when it comes to alcohol. Do you remember the Halloween party you both attended that time? She was falling down drunk."

"She was also 16, dad. I'm supposed to be so mature. Maybe I should've suggested that we just stay in the room last night."

Castle was about to say something more when he heard the front door open and close. "Kate's home." He walked out of his office with Alexis right behind him and held open his arms as Kate walked into them. "Hey. We're glad you're home."

"Did you find out anything?" Alexis asked.

"A couple of things. Let's go and sit down," Kate walked over to the living room couch and sat down as Castle and Alexis sat on either side of her. "Brandon was in Atlantic City."

"What?" Castle and Alexis exclaimed at the same time.

"He saw the waiter and the bartender take you and Paige upstairs. He tried to warn the guard, but he was drunk, so the guard called the AC police. He spent the night in a holding cell. While I was driving home, Carver called me. He said the lab found two donors in Paige's rape kit. They're running them through CODIS now."

"Are they going to tell Paige?"

"Yeah, Alexis. They have to. Have you talked to her? Is she okay?"

"Her mom is giving her a rough time, but I expected that. Is it okay if I go over there?"

"Of course," Castle told her. "Alexis, I know that you're worried about Paige, but as worried as you are about her, that's how worried we are about you."

"I'm okay, dad. I'm not the one who was raped. I won't be long," she kissed both him and Kate on the cheek before going upstairs to change clothes.

"I'm going to go and take a shower," Kate stood up. "Care to join?"

"I'll be right there."

Castle sat for a few minutes before getting up and walking toward the bathroom. He heard the muffled sobs on the other side of the door. He softly opened the door and stepped in, startled to find Kate sitting on the edge of the tub with her face in her hands, trying to muffle her crying. "Kate?"

"Castle, I'm so sorry," she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder. "I should've kept a better eye on them! If they had been with us, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Kate, I don't blame you. It's going to be okay. They're both going to be fine."

"I don't know how to make this better."

"You're making it better by being here and being truthful with Alexis. That's all that you can do right now. That's all either of us can do."

After taking a shower together, they changed into comfortable clothes and settled on the couch to watch some movies. At some point during their movie watching, Kate fell asleep with her head on Castle's shoulder. He gently moved her so that she was laying across his lap. She sighed before going back to sleep.

Castle was still watching TV three hours later when the doorbell rang. "Kate?" He softly touched her shoulder as she struggled to sit up. "There's someone at the door."

Kate sleepily rubbed her eyes as Castle walked over and opened the door, staring at the unfamiliar man who was standing there. But Kate recognized him immediately. "Det. Carver?" She got up and walked over to the door. "What're you doing here?"

"Is Alexis here? I need to talk to her."

"Why?" Castle was instantly suspicious.

"Oh, Det. Carver, this is my husband, Richard Castle. He's Alexis' father. Rick, this is Det. Carver. He's the lead investigator into what happened."

"Why do you need to talk to Alexis again? She doesn't remember anything."

"Mr. Castle, your daughter's palm prints were found on the murder weapon. I need to take her back to Atlantic City for further questioning."

 **A/N #1: Yes, there will be additional references to 'Vampire Weekend.'**

 **A/N #2: I'm sorry that this chapter took so long, but I have been blocked. The last part of this came to me tonight while I was watching S-4. Again, many thanks to Kelly, Gina and everybody else who has helped me with this story. Thanks to Kelly for reading over my chapters, and recommending any changes that need to be made.**

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	7. Anger and Discoveries

**DISCLAIMERS: Nope, still not mine.**

 **SUMMARY: Alexis unloads on Det. Carver and the team begins investigating the previous attacks, making a startling discovery in the process.**

 **A/N #1: I promise that I will complete this story before the deadline. It's just lately between being blocked and having some health issues, I haven't been in the mood to write.**

 **A/N #2: Again, thanks to Kelly for being a sounding board and to Gina for the great suggestions. Her husband Marc pointed out something important to me that I will be using in this chapter.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 7: ANGER AND DISCOVERIES**

"Alexis!" Caroline Livingston opened the door to find the young redhead standing in the hallway. "This is a surprise. Please come in."

"Hi, Mrs. Livingston. Is Paige here?"

"She's shut up in her bedroom, but I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to be here for Paige."

"Well, aren't you sweet? Go ahead, dear."

Alexis walked up to the closed door just off of the living room and tapped on the door. "Paige, it's Alexis. Can I come in?"

A moment later, the door opened, revealing Paige, who was dressed in rumpled pajamas, her eyes red and swollen. "Come on in. Did you talk to Kate?"

"A little while ago. Paige, she told me—"

"About the two donors? I just finished talking to somebody from the police lab in Atlantic City. God, Alexis!" She covered her eyes and started sobbing again. "I had sex with two men and I don't even remember it!"

"Paige, you didn't have sex. You were assaulted. Neither of us consented to anything that happened last night."

"How many 'assaulted' you?" Paige watched while Alexis bit her lip and stared at the ground. "Alexis?"

"Paige, my kit was negative. I don't know if they were afraid of being interrupted or what happened, but—"

"They didn't even use condoms, Alexis! What if they have STD's? What if I get pregnant? This is a nightmare! I can't believe that they didn't even touch you!"

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know! It doesn't mean anything! I'm just worried and scared! I don't know what I'm going to do!"

"I know," Alexis pulled Paige into her arms as her friend continued crying. "Look, I think we could both use a break from all of the drama. Throw some clothes on and we'll go grab some coffee. We could both use the fresh air."

"Alexis, I don't feel like coffee," Paige argued.

"Well, I do. And anything's better than lying around here feeling sorry for yourself. Come on, get dressed. I'm buying."

Twenty minutes later, the two young women were sitting at a nearby coffee shop, sipping coffees. "How do you do it?" Paige asked, tearing a piece off one of the muffins Alexis had bought to eat with their coffee.

"How do I do what?"

"Sit here and act like nothing has happened. You did the same thing after Paris. If someone had kidnapped me, I'd curl up in a corner and never leave my house again."

"I don't know," Alexis shrugged. She still wasn't completely comfortable discussing the events of what had happened almost two years ago in Paris. "I guess I've just learned to shove the bad stuff down so that it doesn't bother me." Just then her phone rang. Alexis smiled when she answered it. "Hi, dad. I'm okay. You didn't have to check up on me."

"Alexis, you need to come home."

"Why? Dad, what's wrong?"

"Alexis, I don't want to say more over the phone, but it's imperative that you come home _right now_."

"Okay, I'll be there in about 20 minutes." She hung up and looked across the table at Paige. "My dad wants me to come home. Something's wrong. I could hear it in his voice. Can you get home all right?"

"Yeah. Call me later," Paige said as Alexis slipped into her coat and grabbed her purse before running out of the coffee shop to hail a cab.

***CCC***

Back at the loft, Castle sat stiffly on the sofa, staring at Det. Carver, who was sitting near him. "Does Alexis need a lawyer?" He finally asked.

"She's an adult, Mr. Castle. Only she can decide if she feels that she needs a lawyer."

"Is she a suspect?"

"Mr. Castle, I just need to ask her a few more questions to hopefully clear up some things. That's all that I need to do right now."

Just then, the door opened and Alexis walked in, stopping short when she saw Det. Carver sitting in the living room. "Det. Carver? Is something wrong?"

"Alexis, I need to take you back to Atlantic City to ask you some more questions about last night."

"Okay, I can follow you up there," she said, her voice small and uncertain.

"I'm afraid that you have to come with me."

"Am I under arrest?"

"No, you're not."

"Then, why can't I drive myself to Atlantic City?"

"Police policy. I'm sorry."

"Alexis, do you want me to call an attorney?" Castle asked.

"No, dad. If all Det. Carver has is questions, it's fine. I'll answer his questions."

"Kate and I will be right behind you," Castle got up and pulled his daughter close, kissing her on the forehead. "Make sure he advises you of your rights and that he gives you a waiver form since you don't want an attorney."

"I'm not the Gestapo, Mr. Castle."

"Yeah, well this is my baby girl, so as far as I'm concerned, you are," Castle's expression was hard.

"I'll be fine, dad." But Alexis was pretending to be braver than she actually felt. In reality, she was terrified.

Castle felt Kate reach for his hand as they watched Alexis lead Det. Carver out of the apartment. "Come on, Castle. Let's go, so we can bring Alexis back home."

Alexis didn't say a word during the drive back to Atlantic City. She sat in the back seat of Det. Carver's unmarked and just stared at the passing scenery. She didn't know what answers she could give this guy. She didn't remember anything. She didn't know how many times and in how many different words she had to keep telling him, because apparently he wasn't getting the message. Storm clouds were gathering which was matching her mood perfectly. She just wanted this to be over.

When they arrived at the Atlantic City PD, Det. Carver led Alexis into the elevator and up to the detective's squad room, where he then led her into an interview room. He then read her Miranda rights to her, after which Alexis signed a waiver saying that she understood her rights and was willing to talk without an attorney. "I have a couple of pictures to show you," he slid two pictures across the table. "Do you recognize the object in these two pictures?"

Alexis carefully examined the pictures, both of which were of what appeared to be a razor blade that was covered in blood. "No, but I'm assuming that you're going to tell me that's the weapon that was used to kill the guy in my room."

"Yes, it is. Alexis, your fingerprints are on file because you worked for the OCME. Your palm print was found on this straight razor. Now, I understand that you're scared and I understand that you claim to not remember what happened, but let's be honest here. Tell me what happened and I can put in a good word with the D.A. Did you get in a fight with Sam Riley? Did you try to stop him from taking your friend and things got out of control?"

Alexis rolled up the long sleeves on her cardigan, carefully examining her hands and forearms before she answered. "Did you look at the pictures that they took of me at the hospital after I was cleaned up?"

"I haven't received all of the pictures back, yet. Our lab is backed up. Why do you ask?"

"Look at my hands and then look at my arms," she thrust her arms out toward him. "If I had gotten into a fight with Sam Riley, I would have defensive marks on my hands and arms. Things like bruises and scratches. I'd also have similar marks on my legs. If there had been a fight, Sam would also have defensive wounds on him. Did he have anything of that nature?"

"No, he didn't."

"I was 15 when my father started following Det. Beckett for research. During the last several years, I've learned quite a lot about murders; both victims and perpetrators. One of those things is when two people are in a fight for their lives, they usually have evidence of it. Do you see any bruises or scratches on me, Det. Carver?" Alexis asked again, her temper now matching the color of her hair; fiery red. "Paige and I were drugged! She was taken to another room in that hotel and violated by at least two people! Believe me, if I had been coherent, I would've fought back! But I wasn't, so I didn't! I don't know how my palm print got on that razor, but if I was a detective, I would deduce that maybe it was planted there by the real killer! Now, instead of hauling me down here and grilling me like I'm a common criminal, why don't you go out there and find out what really happened! I think I will be hiring an attorney, so if you have any further questions, you can ask him or her. Now, am I free to go or are you going to lock me up?"

"No, you're free to go."

Alexis quickly left the interview room, hitting the button for the lobby where she found her dad and Kate waiting for her. She flew into Castle's arms, burying her face into his chest. "It's okay, sweetie," he rubbed her back. "It's going to be okay."

"Sometimes I think nothing's going to be okay ever again. Can we please just go home?"

"Yeah, let's get the hell out of here."

"How did it go?" Kate asked as they made their way out of the precinct and toward the parking lot.

"I told his ass off. You've taught me a lot over the years, Kate, and I threw some of that knowledge back at him."

"Like what?" Kate was intrigued.

"I told him that if I'd fought Sam Riley, I'd have defensive wounds on my hands and arms."

"Probably your legs, too," Kate added.

"Well, since neither Sam nor I had any marks, I couldn't be the one who killed him. After all, who's just going to stand still and let someone slit their throat?"

"Good point," Kate managed to smile at Alexis, who tentatively smiled back.

***CCC***

Kate groaned when her alarm went off the next morning. She rolled over to curl into the warmth of Castle's body for a few minutes, only to find his side of the bed empty. She sat up and looked around the room, spotting her husband staring out of the window. "Castle?" She got up and walked over to the window, slipping her arms around him and pressing her cheek into his back. "How long have you been awake?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Most of the night, I guess. Who does this kind of thing, Kate? Who sets people up so that they look like a murderer?"

"I don't know, babe. But we're going to find out. Let's take a shower," she reached down and took his hand, pulling him toward the ensuite.

When they came out of their bedroom half an hour later, they were both surprised to find Alexis in the kitchen cooking breakfast. "Good morning," she smiled, pouring two cups of coffee and placing them on the breakfast bar. "I'm making omelets and they're just about ready."

"Thank you, sweetie," Castle smiled, taking a seat at the bar and taking a sip of his coffee. "How are you feeling? Did you sleep all right?"

"I'm relieved to know that I'm probably not a killer. I'm going to get together with Paige later."

"When you see Paige, tell her that we're going to figure this out," Kate said.

"Thanks, Kate."

When they stepped off of the elevator at the precinct almost an hour later, they were met by Esposito. "Ryan and I have been checking into the other attacks at the hotel. The first victim was Casey Swann and she lives here in the city. Here's her address in Tribeca," Espo handed Beckett a slip of paper.

"Okay, Castle and I will go talk to her. You and Ryan keep digging into the other attacks."

"As you wish," Espo turned and walked back to his desk.

Castle and Beckett returned downstairs and out to the unmarked. The air had a definite bite to it, the first real signal that winter was about to wrap itself around the city like a freezing cold blanket. "We might have snow before the day is out," Castle commented, getting into the passenger side of the car.

"Yeah, could be," Kate got behind the wheel and started the car.

Casey Swann's apartment was on the 11th floor of a building not too far from Castle's loft. Kate showed her badge to the doorman, who stepped aside to grant them entry into the building. They got off of the elevator on the 11th floor and quickly found apartment 1120. Kate rang the doorbell. Minutes later, it was opened on the safety chain by a woman with long dark hair who appeared to be in her early 20's. "May I help you?"

"Casey Swann?" Kate asked as the woman tentatively nodded. "I'm Det. Kate Beckett, NYPD. This is Richard Castle. We need to ask you some questions about an attack that happened three months ago in Atlantic City."

"Have you found Laurie?"

"Laurie?" Kate asked back.

"My roommate, Laura Palmer."

"We don't know anything about your roommate. May we come in?" Kate asked, as the door closed.

They heard the sound of the chain being removed and then Casey opened the door, allowing Kate and Castle into her apartment. "The cops told me that Laurie probably found some hot guy and hooked up with him. I could buy that if she'd taken off for a day or two. But it's been three months and nobody's heard a word from her. Not me, not her parents, not her fiancée."

"Has anybody filed a missing persons report on her?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, her parents did after three days. But nobody's taking it seriously. Laurie and I went to Atlantic City for one last fling before her wedding. She was supposed to have gotten married in October."

"Ms. Swann—"

"Casey. Please call me Casey."

"Okay, Casey. Why don't you start at the beginning and walk us through what happened."

"Laurie and I went to Atlantic City on a Friday afternoon. We checked into the Trump Taj Mahal. We both got massages before we went to dinner. After dinner, we were walking through the casino, just having a good time before Laurie got married. We saw a group of girls gathered around one of the bars, watching these two bartenders tossing liquor bottles into the air and back and forth to each other."

"Like Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown in 'Cocktail?'" Castle asked as Casey appeared confused. "I'm sorry, that might be before your time."

"What happened next?" Kate asked, shooting a look to Castle.

"I remember that we sat down and we talked to a waiter. I don't remember his name, though. He was flirty and really cute."

"Is this the waiter you talked to?" Kate showed her a picture of Sam Riley.

"Yeah, that's him. The last thing that I clearly remember is him telling us that the bartender made this really good drink. He asked us to try it. That's the last clear memory that I have until the next morning."

"What happened the next morning?"

"I woke up in our room, my head was pounding, I was naked, and Laurie was nowhere to be found. I had bruises all over the insides of my thighs, so I knew that something had happened. I went to the hospital and they were the ones who called the cops."

"Do you know the names of the officers who investigated?"

"Investigated? Are you kidding me? They sent two dicks in suits to the hospital. I'd obviously been raped, but they acted like I was some drunk girl from the city who asked for it! And when I mentioned the fact that my roommate was gone, they just blew it off. They didn't 'investigate' squat. But I can give you their names. Carver and Jimenez. I'll never forget their names as long as I live. Can I ask why you're here talking to me? Has it happened again? It has, hasn't it?"

"Two young women were attacked over the weekend, in the same hotel, possibly by the same perpetrators. We learned that there have been other attacks in that hotel."

"The hotel is trying to cover it up to avoid the bad publicity."

"That's what it sounds like. Atlantic City is a popular tourist destination, so they don't want it leaked that they might have a serial rapist/kidnapper on the loose."

"Is he in on it?" Casey pointed at the picture.

"We think that he was. He was murdered Saturday night."

"By one of the women? If so, they deserve a medal."

"The AC police are still investigating his murder."

"I'm sure that they'll give it more attention than they did Laurie's kidnapping or my rape."

"Casey, did you learn anything about your rape?"

"Yeah, there was more than one guy."

 **A/N #3: And there we have it. The missing girl's name is my homage to 'Twin Peaks.'**

 **A/N #4: I was asked why I never have Espo say 'As you wish' when Kate asks him for something. I notice that he says it quite a lot on the show. So I added it to this chapter.**

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	8. An Ever Widening Net

**DISCLAIMERS: 'Castle' still isn't mine.**

 **SUMMARY: Beckett and the team continue looking into the other attacks, which leads them to a possible suspect.**

 **A/N #1: Thanks everybody for the phenomenal response to the previous chapter. Although I've been struggling with this story, it's the responses that let me know I'm doing a good job.**

 **A/N #2: In response to SThomas086, who said they would've taken urine samples at the hospital which would've eliminated Alexis and Paige as suspects. Keep in mind that in real life, lab results can sometimes take a long time to come in. Det. Carver told Alexis that the lab was backed up. I promise some of the results are going to be revealed.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 8: AN EVER WIDENING NET**

Beckett and Castle returned to the precinct feeling more dejected than ever. "How can a police department mess up a case so spectacularly?" Kate asked, walking over to her desk and booting her computer up.

"What did you find out?" Ryan asked, as he and Espo made their way over to her desk.

"Casey Swann's girlfriend, Laura Palmer, disappeared that night and hasn't been seen since. The detectives told her that she'd probably hooked up with some guy. From the sounds of it, they didn't even bother investigating it. Here it is," she swiveled her computer monitor so that they could all read it. "Laura's parents filed a missing persons report two days after the attacks."

"Is it possible that she did take off with some guy?" Espo asked.

"No," Kate shook her head. "Casey said they went to Atlantic City as one last brief girls' weekend before Laura got married. She was engaged and was supposed to get married in October. Esposito, you and Ryan go talk to the fiancée. Castle and I will go talk to her parents."

"Beckett, while you were gone, we found some stuff on the second attack. The victim lives in Brooklyn," Ryan told her.

"Okay, we'll talk to her when we get back from talking to Laura Palmer's parents. Come on, Castle."

The parents of Laura Palmer seemed to have aged 20 years since the disappearance of their daughter. "Have you found her?" Elaine Palmer asked Beckett.

"No. We just learned that she was missing. What did the detectives tell you regarding Laura's disappearance?"

"They told us that people get drunk in Atlantic City and do stupid stuff all the time," Walter Palmer spoke up. "We tried to explain to them that Laura isn't like that. She's been engaged for over a year to a good man that she loves very much. She just landed a new job that she was very excited about. Laura wouldn't just take off with some random guy. Besides, when Casey went to the hospital, they learned that she'd been drugged."

"And you haven't received any word from Laura since she vanished? No hang up calls in the middle of the night; no strange numbers on your cell phones—"

"Yes, now that you mention it," Elaine Palmer interrupted Beckett. "It was about a month after she vanished. I got a call from a number that I didn't recognize. When I answered it, no one was on the other end, but I could hear noises in the background."

"What kind of noises?"

"I don't know. Scraping noises is the best way to describe them."

"Do you still have the phone number in your call log?"

"No. I just assumed that it was a wrong number. I figured that if it had been Laura, she would've said something. She _would've_ said something, wouldn't she, Det. Beckett?"

"Yes, I'm sure that she would."

Walking back to the unmarked, Castle's thoughts went back to when Alexis had called him from Paris. He knew without a doubt that Laura definitely would've talked to her mother, _unless_ there had been something preventing her from it. "What're you thinking about?" Kate asked after they'd got in the car.

"What if it had been Laura and something or someone had prevented her from talking to her mother?"

"That's something that we'll definitely be looking into, Castle. Are you all right?" She hadn't missed the sad look in his eyes when they'd talked to Laura's parents.

"I just keep thinking that could've been Alexis or Paige."

"But, it wasn't. Come on, let's head back to the precinct and see what Ryan found out about the other attack."

***CCC***

Ryan and Esposito were sitting in the law office of Aaron Shay, Laura's fiancé. His office shelves were filled with pictures of Laura. "How did Laura seem before that weekend?" Ryan asked.

"She was happy. She'd just gotten a job as a paralegal and she was just . . . happy. She'd been busy planning the wedding, so she was looking forward to the weekend away with Casey. They'd been best friends since middle school."

"When did you find out Laura was missing?" Esposito asked.

"Her mom called me on Sunday morning. She said that Laura had been missing since Friday night or early Saturday morning. It was a few days later when I talked to Casey and she told me that she'd been drugged and raped by whoever had taken Laura."

"Have you heard from her?"

"No. Her purse, phone and everything else was still in the room she'd been sharing with Casey. I haven't received any calls from anybody else. Believe me, if I had, I would've called her parents or the cops. Can I ask you guys something?"

"You can ask us anything, Mr. Shay," Ryan told him.

"Do you think Laura's still alive?"

"Until we hear otherwise, yes. We're working under the assumption that she's alive."

"Some days that's the only thing that keeps me going. The thought that Laura's out there somewhere, alive, waiting for someone to come and find her."

"We'll do our best, Mr. Shay. If you have any questions, call the 12th Precinct," both detectives handed their cards over.

***CCC***

Back at the precinct, Kate looked up the file Ryan had sent to her computer while Castle went to the break room to make them coffee. "Thank you," she smiled when he set her cup in front of her. "This is strange," she said as she read the report.

"What's strange?" He scooted his chair next to hers, reading the report that she'd brought up. "Her mother made her daughter file the report. Why didn't the victim do it on her own?"

"I don't know. But maybe we should go and find out."

The last victim before Alexis and Paige lived in an older apartment building in Brooklyn. Kate rang the buzzer and the door was finally opened by a woman in her 50's with gray hair and tired eyes. "What do you want?"

"I'm Det. Kate Beckett, NYPD and this is my partner, Richard Castle," Kate flashed her badge. "We're looking for Bridget Flynn."

"Haven't you people put her through enough? Why do you want to put her through more hell when it's obvious that you don't believe her? Just go away and leave us alone," she attempted to close the door.

"Mrs. Flynn, we're not the detectives from Atlantic City. There have been other women; other attacks. We need to talk to her."

"She isn't here. She's at Bellevue. She slashed her wrists a week and a half ago. If her sister hadn't found her, she would've bled to death. They're holding her on a psych hold."

"Mrs. Flynn, I'm very sorry. But do you think that Bridget will talk to us? This is very important."

"Come in," she opened the door, allowing them into the small, but neat living room. "Have a seat while I call the hospital."

Beckett took a seat on the sofa while Castle looked around the small rooms, picking up a photograph of a young woman in her early 20's with red hair and green eyes. "She's a beautiful girl," he said as Kate nodded.

"Thank you," Mrs. Flynn came back into the room. "She used to be happy. Before this happened, she was always laughing. She had a way of making everyone in the room laugh with her."

"Why didn't Bridget report her assault herself?" Kate asked.

"She denied that anything had happened. She didn't go to the hospital until two days after her return from Atlantic City and she only did it then because I wouldn't give her a moment's peace until she did. By then, there wasn't any evidence, but I still wanted her to report it."

"Did you get permission for us to talk to her?"

"Bridget is very tired, but she agreed to talk to the two of you for a few minutes. I've already told the nurses that it's all right for you to see her."

"Thank you, Mrs. Flynn."

While they were en route to Bellevue, snow flurries started swirling through the air. "See? I told you it was going to snow," Castle grinned at her, which earned him an eye roll.

"Wow, Castle. Maybe you should become a meteorologist."

They found Bridget Flynn on the locked ward of Bellevue's Psychiatric Ward. A nurse led them to a waiting room, promising to bring Bridget to them in due time. Castle and Beckett sat on a sofa in the waiting room, shuddering when they heard the crying and screaming that filled the air. "This place reminds me of every Stephen King book I've ever read in my life," Castle whispered.

"Come find me when you're done, Bridget," the nurse said, leading an extremely frail looking young woman over to them.

This version of Bridget Flynn looked nothing like the smiling young woman from the photo Castle had looked at earlier. She was thin to the point of emaciation, her red hair dull and flattened to her head. Both wrists were wrapped in layers of gauze. She sat down in a nearby chair and lit a cigarette. "I don't want to talk about Atlantic City, so you're wasting your time."

"Bridget, you weren't the first girl who was attacked. And there's a girl who's missing; maybe dead. We need your help."

"Did you go to Atlantic City with a friend?" Castle asked.

"No," she shook her head, flicking ashes onto the floor.

"I thought smoking was prohibited in hospitals," Castle lamely pointed out as Bridget glared at him. "Never mind."

"You went to Atlantic City alone?" Kate asked, ignoring Bridget's obvious dislike of her husband.

"I went there because Marc called me and told me that there was a party and did I want to go to it. I only went because Marc is good in bed and when he's not being a dick, he's a halfway decent human being. So basically, I went to get laid."

"Can you describe Marc?" Kate asked.

"I can do better than that. Hold on!" Bridget got up and went to the doorway. "Hey, Rita! Can you bring me my cell? I need a picture from it!"

"Are you sure that you belong in a psych ward?" Castle asked.

"No, I don't, but when I slit my wrists, some asshole thought that I did. Now I'm on anti-depressants and seeing a therapist, but they still won't let me go. Do you think you can do anything to get me out of here?"

"Bridget, you were brought in after a suicide attempt. In order to get you released, you'll have to see your therapist and a social worker. Even then, it could take 72 hours to get you out of here," Kate told her as the nurse walked in with Bridget's cell phone.

"Fuck! I just want to get out of here. Here's Marc," Bridget took her cell phone from the nurse who'd just walked in and showed it to Castle and Beckett. "But he's not the one who fucked me up."

"Are you sure?" Kate asked, noting the resemblance between the picture on Bridget's phone and the surveillance pictures that had been taken at the casino.

"I'm positive. I went to this party—"

"At the Trump Taj Majal?" Castle asked.

"Yes. Now, will you let me tell my story? I went to this party and we were having a good time. Then these two guys got there. One of them pulled Marc away and was talking to him for a long time. Then Marc went and got me another drink. That's the last thing that I remember until I woke up the next morning."

"Was Marc with you?" Kate asked.

"No and I haven't talked to him since. He won't return my phone calls or my texts. I knew that I'd had sex with someone, but I had a feeling that it wasn't Marc. I was pissed and humiliated. I couldn't believe that he'd pass me off to his bald ass friend."

"Bridget, do you remember enough of what this guy looks like so that we could put you with a sketch artist?"

"I'll never forget what he looks like as long as I live."

"Let me make a phone call and we'll see about getting you out of here," Kate said, getting up and walking over to the window with her phone at her ear.

"So, you believe me?" Bridget asked Castle. "The cops from Atlantic City didn't."

"How long have you known Marc?" Castle asked her, ignoring her dig about the two detectives from Atlantic City.

"He grew up in the neighborhood. His ma lives down the hall from us. We dated off and on from when we were kids. I need to talk to my shrink about getting out of here. You said that there were other girls? How many?"

"At least two girls before you that we know of and another girl was assaulted this past weekend. There might be more."

"Okay, I talked to Judge Markway," Kate walked back over. "He said that you'll have to see your shrink and a social worker before they release you. But, I can see about having an artist come here to you."

"Okay, I can do that. But you're sure that they'll let me out after I talk to my shrink and the hospital social worker?"

"I can't make any promises, Bridget. I will do my best to get you out of here."

"The thing is I can't go back to my apartment. Marc's mother lives down the hall from me. I don't want to see him if he comes to visit."

"If you can get out, we'll find a safe place for you. Let me get a sketch artist down here," Kate got up to make another call.

"You and your partner are much nicer than those other cops. They just thought that I'd gotten drunk and hooked up with some guy. Why would Marc do this? He's never done anything like it before."

"I don't know," Castle shrugged. "We'll ask him when we find him."

"What do you mean when you find him? I know where he lives in Atlantic City."

"The Atlantic City stuff isn't our case. We're investigating the past attacks because you and one of the other victims live here in the city. I'll have Det. Beckett pass Marc's address to the Atlantic City police and they can pick him up."

"The precinct is sending a sketch artist. She should be here in about half an hour," Kate said as she sat back down.

"So, you talked to my mom," Bridget picked at the gauze on her wrists. "Is she okay? I haven't seen her in a couple of days. I think she's embarrassed by everything that's happened."

"She's worried about you. Are you upset because she made you report the assault?"

"I kept telling her to just let it go. I knew they weren't going to find anything at the hospital. And then when those cops showed up, they were pissed because they'd had to drive all that way for nothing. They took pictures, but that's all they had. I tried to describe the bald guy to them, but they just brushed me off. Why do cops do that?"

"Most cops don't," Kate assured her. "That's why I'm here now. They'll be held accountable, Bridget. I promise you that much."

"Did the other girls describe the bald guy?"

"No, we think he probably came into the picture after they'd been drugged."

"So, he messed up with me?"

"It looks that way. Either that, or he thought you wouldn't remember him."

The artist showed up an hour later and after she was shown to the waiting room, Bridget went to a quiet corner to work with her. "I hope we get a break with this sketch," Castle said as they watched Bridget with the artist.

"Me, too. I think we should show the sketch to Casey, Alexis, and Paige to see if any of them might recognize him," Kate added as the artist got up and walked over with her sketch pad. "Is this him?"

"That's him," Bridget nodded.

Kate and Castle looked at the black and white sketch of a bald man who appeared to be in his mid 30's, with a hoop earring in one ear and a goatee. "Let's fax this to the detectives in AC and see if we can find this dirt bag. Let's also have them bring in Marc for questioning."

 **A/N #3: This chapter was fun to write once I figured out where I was going. Thanks again to Kelly and to Gina, who explained to me all about psych wards.**

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	9. Cracks in the Exterior

**DISCLAIMERS: No, I don't own the series, although I am now caught up on Seasons 1-6 on DVD.**

 **SUMMARY: While the investigation continues, Alexis' strong exterior begins to slowly crumble.**

 **A/N #1: I love my muses. They ask me intelligent questions, plus point out things I've neglected to explore. One of the questions I was asked is how long Alexis is going to continue to act as if nothing happened. After all, everybody has a breaking point.**

 **A/N #2: Again, many, many thanks to Kelly. Sometimes she's the only thing that keeps me sane while I try to figure out where I'm going with this story. And if it doesn't work, she's the first to tell me.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 9: Cracks in the Exterior**

Beckett's phone rang while she was driving back to the precinct with Castle. "Beckett," she answered after hitting her Blue Tooth button on her visor.

"Kate, its Lanie. I just talked to the M.E. in Atlantic City. He said that one of the semen samples from Casey Swann's rape kit matches Paige Livingston's."

"So, they were raped by the same man," Kate glanced over at Castle.

"Yes. The thing is that right now we don't have anybody in the system to do a comparison. If you can get us a suspect, we can hopefully match his DNA."

"I'm working on it, Lanie. Believe me, I'm working on it."

"Okay, then I'll let you get back to it," Lanie said, ending the call.

When they got back to the precinct, Kate went to talk to Capt. Gates while Castle went over to talk to the boys. "How'd it go with the other victim?" Ryan asked.

"She gave us a description of a guy she saw at a party in Atlantic City. Kate's going to fax it over to the AC detectives and see if they can run with it."

"Amazing," Espo shook his head. "The girl's in a psych ward and she's given us our best lead so far."

"Let's not go patting ourselves on the back just yet," Kate came out of Gates' office and pulled out her cell phone. "Det. Carver, this is Det. Kate Beckett. I just sent your department a fax of a sketch of a possible suspect in your rapes."

"I've got it."

"Also, I was wondering if you had found out who registered that room that Paige Livingston was found in."

"It wasn't registered to anybody. According to the hotel manager, that room was supposedly vacant."

"Have you interviewed everybody who worked the front desk? It's possible that either Sam Riley or Marc Gabrielle got a key card from someone, possibly in return for sex."

"Look Beckett, I know that this case is personal for you, but don't tell me how to do my job."

"I'm not telling you how to do your job, Carver! And you bet your ass this case is personal for me! Those two young women got attacked on my watch! But the others happened on your watch! Have you talked to Marc Gabrielle?"

"We went by his apartment this morning. He wasn't there, but a neighbor said he'd seen him leave earlier this morning. We've got a BOLO out on him now. I'll call you when we find him."

"Take that sketch to the casino and show it around. Did you talk to your M.E.?"

"Yeah. He told me about the DNA match with two of the victims."

"One more thing. I'm going to send you a picture of Laura Palmer. Show it around and see if anybody's seen her."

"Is there anything else? Would you like to come down and do my job for me? Show me how you do it in the big city?"

"Don't give me any ideas," she said before ending the call.

"Beckett, we've done about all that we can do today," Espo told her. "It's after five. Why don't we call it a day and start fresh tomorrow?"

"I suppose you're right," Kate rubbed her face. "Come on, Castle. Let's go home and see how Alexis is doing."

On the way home, they stopped for Chinese food before making their way home to the loft. The snow flurries had temporarily stopped, but it was still bitterly cold, with a wind that went right through to your bones. When they stepped into the loft, Alexis was on the sofa with her headphones in her ears, wrapped in a fluffy blanket. "Hey, sweetie," Castle walked over and kissed the top of her head. "We brought home Chow Fung."

"I'm not hungry."

"Alexis?" Kate sat on the edge of the sofa. "Are you okay?"

"Paige is a mess and I'm the worst best friend ever!" Alexis began to sob as Kate first looked to Castle for help before simply wrapping her arms around her.

"Alexis, this wasn't your fault. This was the fault of whoever did this to the two of you. I know that you want to be there for Paige, but its okay to admit that maybe you could use some help, too." 

"I'm okay," Alexis sat back and wiped her face.

"No, you're not, and that's okay. You do know that you don't always have to be the grownup, right?" Kate gave her a gentle smile.

Castle wanted to step in, but he knew that Kate felt like she had to do this. He knew that she was doing this as much for herself as she was for Alexis. "Did you find out anything else?"

"We don't have to talk about that right now. I'm not going to keep anything from you, but right now, I think that all three of us; you, me and your dad; just need to decompress. So, let's have dinner and talk about more pleasant topics. Okay?"

"Okay," Alexis allowed herself to be pulled off of the sofa, following Kate and her dad to the dining table.

After dinner, the three of them went over to the sofa where Kate filled Alexis in on what they'd learned so far. "We learned that one of the suspects is responsible for raping both Paige and one of the other women. But right now, we don't have anybody in the system that matches the DNA. We have a sketch of a possible suspect, and the AC detectives are looking for him."

"Do you have the sketch? Maybe me or Paige saw him, but didn't know it," Alexis said.

"Yeah, I took a picture of it on my phone. Hold on," Kate got her phone and brought up the sketch. "Do you recognize him?"

Alexis stared at the sketch as a flash of something went through her head. But it was just as quickly gone. But Castle was watching her and he knew by her body language that something was wrong. "Alexis? Do you recognize him?"

"No," she quickly shook her head. "I've never seen him."

"Are you sure?" Kate asked.

"Of course I'm sure! Why would I lie about something like that?" She got up and ran up the stairs to her room.

"Do you think she recognized him, Kate?" Castle asked.

"I don't know. It's possible that she had a flashback, but she didn't recognize it as that. Why don't you go upstairs and check on her? I'll clean up down here," she kissed him before going to clear the dinner dishes.

Alexis was curled up in a tight ball on her bed when she heard a light tap on her door, followed by her dad sticking his head in. "Is it all right if I come in?" He asked as she sat up and nodded. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Dad, I swear I've never seen the guy in that sketch, but something happened when I looked at it. I don't know how to explain it. It was a feeling like—"

"Déjà vu?" He guessed as she nodded. "Kate suggested that it could've been a flashback. Maybe he was there sometime that night, but you were under the influence of whatever they'd drugged you with."

"At least we found Paige before she ended up wherever that other girl has disappeared to. Is Kate going to show her the sketch?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Probably tomorrow. Do you want to be there when she does?"

"I think that I should be. Paige is having a really rough time, especially knowing that there were at least two guys."

"You know, Alexis, I think that it's great that you want to be there for your friend, but I want you to think about yourself, too."

"Dad, I'm fine. Really, I'm okay," she took his hand, forcing him to look at her. "I think I'm going to read for a while and then I'm going to go to sleep."

"Okay. Sleep well," he kissed her forehead before he turned to leave her room.

"Dad?" She called out to him.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Did you call mom and tell her . . . about what happened?"

"No. Why?"

"Because she's been texting me, wanting to come up to visit."

"Well, you know that timing has never been your mom's strong suit. Just try to let her know that you're not up to a visit from her right now."

"Okay. Good night."

"Good night. Sleep well."

The second the door closed, Alexis picked up her cell phone, frowning when she read the text message. After thinking for several minutes, she finally typed out a reply. **'Mom, I love you, but I'm fine. There's no need for you to fly up. I'll try to fly to L.A. during my winter break from school. TTYL.'**

Kate was just finishing loading the dishwasher when Castle returned from upstairs. "How is she?"

"I think she's going to be okay. I know how much she cares about her friends and family, but I wish that she'd let someone be there for her just once. And now I find out that on top of everything else, Meredith wants to come up for a visit."

"Oh no," Kate groaned.

"Oh, yes. Alexis asked if I'd talked to her mom. Kate, how do I tell her about this?"

"I don't think there's any reason to. Besides, it'll be just like Paris and Meredith will want it to be all about her."

Castle nodded, remembering conversations he'd had with Kate after he'd returned home with Alexis. He'd called his ex-wife, wanting her to know what was going on with their daughter. He had no way of knowing that after he'd taken off on his rescue mission, that Meredith would attempt to fly up and insinuate herself into the drama. It had finally taken very strong words from Martha to keep Meredith on the West Coast. "Well, in any case, she wants to be with Paige tomorrow when you show her the sketch."

"Okay," Kate finished loading the dishwasher before turning toward her husband. She could see how concerned he was for Alexis. "Hey," she stepped up to him and slipped her arms around his waist. "I know that you're worried, but Alexis is strong. She's going to be fine."

"I know, but as her father it's my job to worry about her."

"I know, and that's one of the many things that I love about you," she pressed up on her toes and kissed him softly.

"Parenting her was so much easier when she was six or even when she was 10. I never knew it would be so hard when she got to be an adult," he continued to grouse.

"It's not always going to be this hard, Rick. Come on, let's go watch TV for a while," she tugged on his hand. "I'm sure we can find something to numb our minds for a couple of hours."

***CCC***

It was the sound of breaking glass that jolted Kate out of a sound sleep. She grabbed her cell phone and looked at the time. It was 3:10 in the morning. She looked over at Castle who was still asleep at her side. Thinking that maybe she'd been dreaming, she laid back down and was about to drift off when she clearly heard Alexis' voice, muttering an oath of distress.

Throwing off her blankets, she thought about waking Rick up before deciding to see what was wrong first. She grabbed her robe, slipping into it before walking out toward the living room. In the dim light shining in from outside, she could barely make out Alexis standing over the kitchen sink, holding her wrist with one hand. "Alexis?" Kate saw her stepdaughter visibly jump. "Are you all right?" As she spoke, Kate made her way into the kitchen where she could see that clearly things were not all right. Blood was dripping in a steady stream from Alexis' hand.

"Don't come in here. There's broken glass all over the place."

"What happened?" Kate grabbed a towel and handed it to Alexis, who wrapped it around her injured hand.

"I'm so tired. I just want to sleep. I took something, but it didn't work. So I took another one. I came down here to get something to drink and the glass . . . it slipped out of my hand. I just want to sleep," she repeated.

"Alexis, come on," Kate put her hand on Alexis' elbow and guided her around the glass on the floor. She led her over to the sofa. "You said that you took something. What did you take?"

"Mom got them for me . . . after Paris," Alexis removed the bloody towel from her hand. Both women were relieved that the bleeding seemed to have stopped. "I couldn't sleep. Please don't tell my dad. He worries enough about me as it is. Kate, I just want to go to sleep. I want to go to sleep and forget that any of this happened."

"Sweetie, I know. I've been there. But what you want to do isn't going to make what happened go away. And keeping your dad out of the loop also isn't the answer. Sit here and let me go get something for your hand. And then we'll clean the glass up. After that, we'll talk."

"Kate, it's the middle of the night. You have to get up in a few hours to go to work."

"Right now, you're what matters. Alexis, I've been where you are. I'll be right back."

Castle stirred when he felt the light from the bathroom hit his eyes. "Kate? What's going on?" His voice was sleepy in the darkness.

"Everything's fine. Alexis dropped a glass in the kitchen. Go back to sleep," she bent down and kissed his forehead.

"Is she okay?" He started to sit up, but Kate stopped him.

"Castle, I've got this, okay? If I need you, I'll come and get you. Go back to sleep."

"You know that isn't going to happen."

"Then, stay awake and wait for me. I'll help you go back to sleep then," she smiled, kissing him again.

Going back into the living room, Kate placed the first aid kit on the coffee table and opened it, removing a bottle of iodine and some gauze. "Did I wake my dad up?"

"Don't worry about it. Why did you never tell us that you couldn't sleep after Paris?" Kate cleaned the cut with an antiseptic wipe, smiling gently when Alexis winced.

"You were both already stressed by what had happened. I didn't want to add to it. When mom came up after I came home, she gave me some sleeping pills. I didn't take them for very long. I know it was wrong to take pills prescribed to someone else, but I just wanted to sleep."

"I know. Like I said, I've been there."

"After you got shot?" Alexis asked as Kate nodded.

"There were times when I'd go days without sleep. I'd drink, hoping the alcohol would help, but all that it did was increase my paranoia and my terror," Kate remembered. "Therapy helped."

"I don't know if I want to do that."

"I wasn't sure that I wanted to do it, either. At first I went because it was mandatory to go back to work. And then I decided that I had a lot of stuff that I needed to work through. I wanted to be with your dad, but I knew that I couldn't be as long as I had all of this baggage built up inside of me. He didn't need to be dragged down with me like that. Let's go and clean up the kitchen and I'll make you some tea. It's a better way to go to sleep."

"I just didn't want you to think that I was doing something stupid."

"Alexis, you haven't thought of doing something stupid, have you?" Kate asked her.

"No, no," Alexis shook her head. "I know that's not the way out. I promise."

"Okay. Come on, let's clean up and then we'll have some tea."

Castle was dozing when he felt Kate slide under the covers and cuddle up close to him. "Is everything okay?" His voice was warm and drowsy in the darkness.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Kate was quick to reassure him, although at the moment she felt that nothing was further from the truth.

 **A/N #3: In the next chapter, I will be getting back into the case.**

 **Follow me:**

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	10. Two Significant Breaks

**DISCLAIMERS: Alas, 'Castle' still hasn't been turned over to me.**

 **SUMMARY: The AC cops get a big break in the case while Alexis continues to spiral downhill.**

 **A/N #1: Thanks Kelly for listening to my brief rant on Facebook. I know that you don't know how you helped, but I think I just needed to say that I was stuck.**

 **A/N #2: Before everybody starts asking me where Martha is, she makes an appearance in this chapter.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 10: Two Significant Breaks**

Martha was coming out of the bathroom when she heard the soft sounds coming from the other side of her granddaughter's closed bedroom door. Richard had told her about the events of the past weekend, but he had begged her not to overwhelm Alexis with questions about what had happened.

Martha knew from past experiences that Alexis would usually come to her if she needed her, but she also knew that it was sometimes hard to let those you love know that you needed them. Taking a deep breath, she softly knocked on the door. "Alexis, its Grams. Is it all right if I come in?"

"Yes," Alexis sat up and wiped at her face.

"How are you feeling?" Martha opened the door and came over to the bed, sitting on the edge and smoothing the comforter.

"I don't know," Alexis shrugged. "I'm so tired and Paige is messed up. I don't know what I'm feeling."

"When you were a little girl and you couldn't sleep, sometimes I would sing to you."

"I don't remember that."

"That's because you were barely more than a baby. It was right after your mom and dad got divorced. I think that you were missing your mom and your dad was at his wit's end. He'd call me and ask me what to do to get you to sleep. So, I would come over and I'd sit against your headboard just like this," Alexis scooted over so that her grandmother could sit against the headboard with her. "You'd put your head on my shoulder and we'd cuddle close together and I'd sing to you."

"What would you sing?" Alexis' voice was warm and drowsy.

"A lot of things, but your favorite was 'Puff, the Magic Dragon.'"

"Can you sing it now, Grams? I'm so tired," Alexis slid down until her head was resting in Martha's lap.

***CCC***

Rick was in the kitchen making coffee while Kate finished her shower. He glanced toward the stairs, wondering if Alexis or his mother were up. He decided to go upstairs to check on Alexis. He knew that she'd been up the night before with Kate, but he hadn't learned too many of the details.

He stopped outside of Alexis' door and slowly turned the knob. Walking in, he was surprised to find his mother sitting on Alexis' bed, softly stroking his daughter's bright red locks while humming. "Shh," Martha put her finger to her lips. "How long has it been since she slept?"

"I don't know. I know that Kate got up with her last night."

"Richard, I found these on her nightstand," Martha picked up a small bottle of pills. "They're prescribed to your ex-wife. How in the hell did Alexis get them?"

"Mom gave them to me," Alexis mumbled. "I'm so tired. I just want to sleep."

"Mother, can you let Kate know that I'm up here? I'll be down in a few minutes."

Rick took Martha's place on the bed, smiling when he felt Alexis move closer to him. "I'm sorry, daddy. I couldn't sleep. She brought them to me after I came home from Paris."

"Shh, go back to sleep, pumpkin. I'll stay right here, okay?"

"I didn't tell you because I knew that you'd just get more worried. I had a handle on it."

"Alexis, you know that you can talk to me about anything. If you had just come to me, I would've helped you work through this."

"I know. Kate said that therapy helped her. Do you think that maybe I should talk to somebody?"

"I don't know, baby," he stroked his fingers through her tangled hair. "That's something that you need to decide."

"There are all kinds of support groups at school. I could talk to my counselor about finding the best one for me. Maybe I could get Paige to come with me."

"That's a good idea. Now, stop talking and sleep for a little while. I'll stay until you fall asleep."

"What about the sketch? Wasn't Kate going to show it to Paige and the other girls today?"

"Sweetie, Paige doesn't need you there to hold her hand. She'll understand that you're trying to work through stuff, too."

"Dad, I wasn't physically assaulted and she was. I _need_ to be there for her."

"You're a wonderful friend. Now sleep."

Settling against the headboard and stroking Alexis' long red hair, Rick thought back through his daughter's life. There were so many moments that went through his mind like a home movie. The first time he ever held her in his arms; the moment when Meredith walked out and he knew that he was going to have to be everything to the little girl with the bright red hair and huge blue eyes; feeling her warm body cuddling close to him when he read to her; flying to Paris to rescue her and the look of joy and relief in her eyes when he'd arrived to save her.

"Rick?" He looked at the doorway to see Kate standing there with a cup of coffee in her hands. "I thought that you could use this."

"Thank you."

"I'm going to go and see Paige; show the sketch to her. After that, I'm going to go to the precinct. Casey Swann is coming in later to look at the sketch. Are you going to come with me?"

"Uh, I think I'm going to stay here with Alexis for a few hours. I want to make sure she gets some rest. I'll come in this afternoon."

"Okay," she bent down and kissed him, before brushing her fingers over his upper lip. "I'll see you in a few hours. I love you."

"I love you, too."

***CCC***

Half an hour later Kate was sitting across from Paige Livingston at her dining table. "I have a sketch that I want you to look at. Have you ever seen this man?"

Paige took the sketch from Kate and stared at it. "Did Alexis recognize him?"

"Paige, I need to know if you recognize him."

The young woman looked awful. Her hair was hanging in dirty, matted strings by her face. Like Alexis, Paige looked as if she hadn't slept since the ordeal had started. "I don't know who he is."

"Paige, I didn't ask you if you know him. I asked you if you've ever seen him."

"I've never seen him. I'm sorry that I can't help you," Paige got up and went into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a bottle of water.

"Paige, have you talked to anybody?"

"No," she shook her head, taking another swig of the water. "My mother told me that if I were smart like my sister, this wouldn't have happened. She told me that I have zero common sense."

"That's not true, Paige," Kate felt sorry for Alexis' friend. "This happens to girls from every walk of life."

"Is Alexis mad at me?"

"No, but Alexis is struggling, too. If you want, I can talk to your parents."

"No, I'll handle it. I'm sorry that I couldn't help with the sketch."

"It's okay. I'll ask Alexis to call you."

"Okay."

***CCC***

Rick was looking around Alexis' room when he felt her stir. She'd been asleep for almost three hours. She gave him a puzzled look when she sat up. "Dad?"

"I told you that I wasn't going anywhere. How do you feel?"

"Better. I need to change the bandage on my hand," she sat up, exposing her injured hand. "I broke a glass last night."

"I know. Kate told me. Come on, I'll put a fresh dressing on it and then I'll make you some strawberry happy face pancakes."

"Shouldn't you be at the precinct with Kate?" Alexis asked, getting out of bed and following her father down the stairs.

"I told her I'd go up there this afternoon. I wanted to make sure that you got some sleep."

Alexis sat down at the counter while Rick went to get the first aid kit from the bathroom. "Can I ask you something?" She asked when he sat beside her and opened the kit.

"You can ask me anything."

"Are you upset because I've been coming to Kate instead of talking to you?"

"No," he carefully unwrapped the gauze from her hand and put some antiseptic ointment on it before putting a fresh bandage on it. "I want you to go to Kate when you have problems. But I do wish that you'd come to me after Paris. I didn't know that you were having trouble sleeping. If I had known, I would've helped you. I don't want you taking any more of those pills, Alexis."

"Okay, I won't. Can I have bacon with my pancakes?" She gave him the smile that had always won her way with him as he smiled back and enveloped her in a hug. "I love you, dad."

"I love you, too."

***CCC***

Kate was sitting in an interview room with Casey Swann. "Casey, have you ever seen this man?" She slid the sketch in front of Casey.

Casey examined the sketch for several minutes, carefully scrutinizing every detail. "Is he the one who took Laura?"

"We don't know. Do you recognize him?"

"No. I'm sorry. Can I go now?"

"Yes. Come on, I'll walk you to the elevator," both women stood up and left the room, slowly walking toward the elevator. "Thank you for coming in."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't help," Casey apologized, turning toward the elevator when the doors opened and Castle started to step off.

"I'll call you when I get more information."

"So I take it that you got no hits on the sketch?" Castle guessed.

"Neither Paige or Casey recognized him. How's Alexis?"

"A little better. She got a few hours of sleep and I made her pancakes. I left her in my mother's very capable hands."

"How are you?" She reached out and touched her fingers to his.

"I'm worried about her, Kate."

"Alexis is a smart girl, Castle. She's going to figure it out and we're going to be there when she does." Her cell phone rang, so she grabbed it, frowning when she saw the caller id. "Beckett," she answered.

"Det. Beckett, this is Det. Jimenez from the Atlantic City PD."

"What can I do for you, Det. Jimenez?" She stared at Castle, who was making a face at her.

"Well, I've got good news and bad news for you. Which would you like first?"

"I would like for you to come to the point. Do you have either of our suspects in custody?"

"We have Marc Gabrielle. But the bad news is he's suffering from lead poisoning."

"He's been shot?" Kate shouted into the phone. "How? Where did you find him?"

"He was found by a homeless man in an alley near the Boardwalk. Someone shot him five times in the head."

"Shit!" She spoke for a few more minutes to Det. Jimenez before ending the call. "Marc Gabrielle is dead. He was shot five times in the head."

"Talk about overkill," Castle commented as they walked back to her desk.

***CCC***

In Atlantic City, while Det. Jimenez was working the murder of Marc Gabrielle, Det. Carver was still questioning the hotel employees and showing them the sketch of the mystery man. He only had a few more employees left to question and he was anxious to finish so that he could join his partner. He stepped up to the registration desk and glanced at the nametag of the young woman behind the counter. "Hi, Jamie. My name is Det. Carver from the ACPD. I have a sketch that I need to show you. Have you ever seen this man in this hotel?"

Jamie was in her early 20's with shoulder length blonde hair and brown eyes. She took the sketch and looked at it carefully. "Hey, Brittany! Take a look at this! Doesn't that look like Tucker to you?"

Brittany was about Jamie's age with waist-length brown hair and blue eyes. She took the sketch from her co-worker. "Yeah, that's definitely Tucker. He stays here all the time. His dad is some big shot business guy who owns property all up and the down the Jersey coast."

"Is Tucker his first name or his last name?" Carver took out his notepad.

"His last name, but I don't know his first name. Everybody just calls him Tucker. I know that he throws a lot of parties out at his father's mansion. I've heard that his father also has a house in the Hamptons," Brittany told Carver.

"Thank you, ladies. You've been very helpful," Carver took out his phone and called New York City.

Beckett was at her desk when her cell phone rang once again. Grimacing, she answered. "Beckett."

"Det. Beckett, Carver here. I might have a name for your sketch. All I have is a last name, but his father is a business man up here in Jersey. He owns a mansion here in Atlantic City and possibly a house in the Hamptons. His last name is Tucker."

"Have you done a check in the database for that name?" Kate wrote down the name 'TUCKER' on a pad and underlined it.

"No, not yet. I just got the name seconds ago."

"Okay, I'll have my guys run the name and I'll get back to you." Kate hung up the phone. "Ryan, run down the name Tucker in our database. We're looking for someone who owns businesses in New Jersey."

"Okay, hold on," Ryan clicked a few keys and waited for the results. "Beckett, I've got a Harrison Tucker, who's a land developer in New Jersey. He has two sons, Benjamin and Jared."

"Do you have pictures of the sons?" Kate and Castle walked over to Ryan's desk.

"This is Benjamin," Ryan brought up pictures of a respectable looking businessman dressed in a dark suit with a woman and two small children by his side. "And this is Jared. These were taken at a party at the Trump Taj Mahal in July."

Kate froze in shock when she saw the pictures Ryan brought up. The man sitting at a table with several other people was big and bald. A small diamond earring glittered in one ear. "Let me call Det. Carver and tell him to pick up Jared Tucker."

 **A/N #3: There will be probably one more chapter dealing with the case and the other chapters will deal with Alexis' healing.**

 **A/N #4: The name 'Harrison' is an homage to the name of the murderer in 'Flowers for Your Grave.'**

 **Follow me:**

 **Twitter: at Caskett1960**

 **Tumblr: Caskett1960**

 **Facebook: Cindy Wylie (Wylie dot Cindy at Yahoo dot com)**


	11. New Developments

**DISCLAIMERS: Nope, still not mine.**

 **SUMMARY: Developments in the case and Alexis meets a kindred spirit.**

 **A/N #1: This chapter is definitely going to be 'fly by the seat of my pants.' I have a general idea of where I want to go, so we'll see how it goes.**

 **A/N #2: As always, thanks to Kelly. I'm so happy that this story is working out. Have a great birthday!**

 **A/N #3: Also, I need to correct myself about something I said in the previous chapter. Harrison Tisdale was the father in 'Flowers for Your Grave,' not the killer. Sorry for the error.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 11: New Developments**

Castle was sitting in the living room, working on revisions on the latest chapter of his new book to send to Gina the next day. He glanced over at the sofa at the red hair that was sticking out of a mound of blankets. Unable to sleep, Alexis had come downstairs earlier in the evening, seeking out the security of her father. He'd made her some tea to help her sleep and had sat at her side, talking to her until exhaustion took over and she finally went to sleep.

Kate was at the precinct, working with the Atlantic City detectives to try to locate Jared Tucker. His father had been of no help, telling the detectives that he had no idea of where his son was, but that he sometimes came into the city to party with his friends. So, at the moment, Kate and the boys were trying to track Tucker down.

He looked up when he heard a key in the door, followed a second later by Martha walking in. She looked first at the sofa and then at Richard, before hanging her coat up in the closet. "What is Alexis doing down here?" She walked over and kissed her son on the cheek.

"She came downstairs a little over an hour ago, saying that she couldn't sleep. I made her some tea and a nest on the sofa like I used to when she was little. It seemed to do the trick. I don't want to move her, so I'll probably just let her sleep down here tonight."

"Where's Katherine?"

"Trying to find a murder suspect. She sent me home, which was probably a good thing. How was dinner?"

"Wonderful. I'm going up to bed, darling. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, mother," he said as his cell phone dinged with a text message.

He smiled when he read the message from Kate. **'Hope your night is going better than mine. No hits on Jared Tucker, yet. We're going to work for another hour or two and then I'll be home. ILY.'**

He thought for a moment before texting her back. **'I'm almost done with my chapter. Alexis couldn't sleep, so she's sleeping on the sofa. Text or call before you leave the precinct and I'll run you a hot bath. ILY, too.'**

He sat back and watched Alexis as she slept, much like he had when she was small. He wished that he could still just pick her up and hold her in his arms, make all of her troubles go away. Like he'd told Kate, it had been so much easier when she was six or even 10. He didn't even know how to go about raising an adult daughter. Maybe he could call Jim and ask him.

Buried under the blankets, Alexis began to dream.

 _She opened her eyes and saw a figure standing between the two beds. He looked like the waiter from the bar. What was his name? Sam. The one that Paige said was so cute. She was about to ask why he was in her room, but her eyes were so heavy. Then she saw Mr. Clean come up behind him. He had something in his hand and suddenly there was so much blood. Alexis had never seen so much blood. She pulled the covers over her head and began to moan softly, hoping that Mr. Clean didn't hear her. She felt the covers being pulled back and fought to stay covered._

"No!" Alexis sat up, pulling the covers up over her head. "Leave me alone! Stay away from me!"

"Alexis," Castle was instantly by her side, pulling her against his chest. "Alexis, it's okay. You were dreaming. You're safe now. I'm here. Your grandmother's here."

"Daddy, there was so much blood. I thought he was going to kill me, too."

"Alexis, do you remember something? Did you see Tucker in your room?"

"I don't know," she was still sobbing. "I don't know if it was a dream or if it happened."

"Alexis," he pulled back and forced her to focus on him. "I know that you're scared, but tell me what you saw. What did you see in your dream?"

"I don't remember going to bed."

"I know, sweetie. That's probably because of whatever they gave you. What was the first thing that you saw when you woke up?"

"Sam was standing between the two beds. At first, I thought that maybe Paige had invited him up. Then I saw Mr. Clean. Just when I was about to ask why Mr. Clean was in my room, he had something in his hand. I don't know what it was, but he was right behind Sam and then there was so much blood. I think I made a noise because Mr. Clean looked toward where I was. I pulled the blanket up over my head so that he wouldn't see me. Was it a dream or was it real?"

"I don't know, Alexis. Honestly, I think it was probably a combination of the two. Do you remember if he said anything to you?"

"No," she shook her head. "I felt him trying to pull the covers from me, but I think I passed out again. I don't understand why they didn't take me when they had the chance."

"They might've feared getting caught. I almost wish that they had got caught. Beckett would've kicked their asses."

"Should we tell Kate what I dreamt about?"

"I'll tell her when she gets home. Right now, I want you to lie down and try to go back to sleep. I promise that I won't go anywhere," he helped her to settle down as he softly rubbed her back.

***CCC***

It was now almost two o'clock in the morning and Beckett and her team were beat. They had a BOLO out on the vehicle that Harrison Tucker told them his son was using. "Let's call it a night," Kate wearily rubbed her eyes before looking across at Ryan and Esposito, who looked as bleary as she did. "We've got every cop in the city looking for Tucker. They'll call us if they pick him up. Let's go home and get a few hours of sleep."

"That sounds good to me," Ryan stood up and stretched.

"Same here. I'll see you in the morning," Espo grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.

"Night, guys," Kate said as she turned to power off her computer.

Walking into the quiet of the loft half an hour later, she smiled at the sight of Castle asleep at the end of the sofa, one hand lightly resting on Alexis, who also appeared to be soundly sleeping. She hated to wake him, but she really needed to be with him.

Castle was sound asleep when he felt gentle lips brushing his forehead. He opened his eyes and graced Kate with a sleepy smile. "Hey," his voice was raspy. "I was going to run you a bath."

"It's okay. Come on," she grabbed his hand, pulling him up from the sofa. "I'll settle for a shower instead."

Lying in his arms, sleepy and sated a short time later, she listened while he told her about Alexis' dream. "Do you think what she dreamt about was real or her imagination?"

"I definitely think most of it was real. Hopefully the lab will have the results of all of their tests tomorrow so we'll know what they were dosed with. I think Paige saw him, too, but she's too afraid to admit it."

"We have to get her some help, Kate. Alexis can't keep sleeping down here because she can't sleep in her room."

"Rick, I know that you want her to get help, but Alexis has to be the one to make that decision. Forcing someone into therapy is never a good idea."

"I know. I love you," he kissed her before she settled with her head on his chest, her favorite sleeping place.

"I love you, too," her voice was sleepy, as she closed her eyes and gave in to total exhaustion.

It seemed only minutes later when Kate's cell phone rang. She groaned before rolling over to grab the offending instrument. "Beckett," she sat up, running a hand through her tangled hair. "Really? When? Has he been read his rights? Okay, I'll be there in half an hour." She hung up and poked Castle in the ribs. "Castle? Are you awake? They have Jared Tucker in custody. Are you coming with me to talk to him?"

"Hell, yes," Castle was instantly wide awake. "I'll make coffee while you get dressed. Where did they find him?"

"A unit was sitting on the apartment that he keeps in midtown. They got him when he came home at 4:30 this morning."

It was 6:30 when Kate and Castle stepped off of the elevator where they were met by LT. "He's in One," LT pointed.

"Thanks, LT," Kate headed toward Interrogation Room One with Castle on her heels. The man sitting at the table looked like he was half-loaded, but Castle could also see why Alexis referred to him as Mr. Clean. He was totally bald, wearing a diamond stud in one ear and he was dressed in white jeans and a white t-shirt. Definitely a Mr. Clean clone. "Mr. Tucker, I'm Det. Kate Beckett. This is Richard Castle, my partner. Have you been informed of your rights?"

"Yeah. I don't know why I'm here though."

"Do you know a man named Marc Gabrielle?" Kate asked as she and Castle took seats across from Jared Tucker.

"No, I can't say that I do."

"Have you been to Atlantic City recently?"

"Sure, I'm in Atlantic City all of the time. I'm a foreman at one of my father's construction sites."

"Do you frequent the Trump Taj Mahal?"

"Sure, that's one of my favorite spots."

"Have you ever seen either of these young women?" Kate slid across pictures of both Laura Palmer and Paige Livingston.

Tucker seemed to stare at the two photos obsessively, much to Castle's irritation. "No, I'm sorry. I've never seen them before in my life."

"How about her?" Kate next pushed a picture of Bridget Flynn over to him.

"No. Can I please ask what this is about?"

"This woman," Kate tapped Laura's picture, "is missing. The other one was taken to a room in the Trump Taj Mahal and sexually assaulted by at least two men. Would you mind giving us a DNA sample, Mr. Tucker?"

"Not without a court order. I don't have to rape women. Believe me, Det. Beckett, I have them falling at my feet."

"Rape isn't about sex, Mr. Tucker. It's about power. And I will get a warrant for your DNA. Until then, you can be a guest in one of our holding cells."

Kate had Tucker taken to a holding cell as she walked toward the bull pen with Castle. "Hey, do you think that I should call Alexis down to see if she recognizes Tucker as the man from her dream?"

"I don't know," Kate sighed. "I worry about traumatizing her further, Castle. She's already teetering on the edge and I know what that feels like. Why don't you call her and ask her if she feels up to it? Don't push it; just test the waters. I'll get us some coffee and then I'll see about getting a warrant for Tucker's DNA."

***CCC***

Alexis stirred when she heard her cell phone ringing. She reached her hand out and grabbed it from the coffee table, seeing that it was her dad calling. "Hey, dad," she sat up. "Did you and Kate get called out?"

"Yeah, sweetie. Alexis, they picked up the guy from the sketch. Do you think you'd recognize him if you took a look at him? He might be the guy from your dream."

"Dad that was just a dream. I don't think it was real."

"But what if he was real? I think it would help if you came down and looked at him. He won't be able to see you. I'll stay with you the whole time."

"Can I bring Grams?" Alexis asked, seeing her grandmother come down the stairs with a concerned look on her face.

"Of course. I'll see you in a little while."

"Alexis, what's going on?" Martha asked.

"They picked up the guy from the sketch. Dad wants me to see if I recognize him. Will you come with me?"

"Yes, I'll come with you," Martha sat down and slipped her arm around Alexis' shoulder. "But I thought you didn't recognize the man from the sketch."

"I had an awful dream last night. There was a man and he looked like the man from the sketch, but I'm not sure."

"Well, if don't recognize him, then that's what you say. Let's get dressed and we'll stop for coffee before we go to the precinct."

***CCC***

Kate had managed to get through to a judge who issued her a search warrant for Tucker's DNA. She had him brought back to Interrogation Room One and let him stew for a little while, allowing her to decide on an approach. "Mother and Alexis will be here in a few minutes," Castle told her. "When they get here, I'll take them to the Ob Room so that Alexis can look at Tucker."

"Okay. I'll take Esposito in there with me."

Kate and Esposito entered the interrogation room where Jared Tucker was sitting at the table, one hand handcuffed to a ring under the table. Kate sat down and slid a piece of paper across to Tucker. "We have a warrant for your DNA. This is going to work one of two ways. Either you swab your mouth willingly or we'll take it by force. It's entirely up to you."

"Give me the fucking swab," he snarled as Kate slid the sealed swab across the table. He opened the package and scrubbed the inside of his cheek before removing it and handing it to Kate, who broke the cotton tip off and placed it in a bottle, marking it for evidence. "I told you that I don't need to force women to have sex, Detective. Women beg to be with me."

"A cocky bastard like you probably can't get it up for a willing woman," Espo said. "And I'm sure women beg, all right. They beg to get away from you, if they're even conscious."

"Oh, so now you're saying that I drug women, too?"

"Wow, you're smarter than you look."

"Were you in Atlantic City this past weekend?" Kate asked, cutting off Esposito before things got heated.

"Sure. Like I said, I work for one of my father's companies."

"Did you go to the Trump Taj Mahal?"

"No, I haven't been to the Taj Mahal since the summer."

On the other side of the window, Alexis was standing with Castle, Martha and Ryan. She was gripping the bottom edge of the window and shaking so hard that Rick was having to hold her up. "Alexis?"

"He . . . he was in my dream. He was . . . in my dream. How is that . . . possible? I didn't see him! I know that I didn't see him!"

Inside of the room, Tucker looked toward the window. "Is somebody out there?"

"Excuse me for a moment," Kate quickly got up and left the room, going into the observation room where Castle was trying to calm Alexis down. "Alexis, let's go back into the squad room."

"I was dreaming!" She kept repeating. "I didn't really see him! He wasn't really there!"

"Come on, sweetie," Castle guided her back into the bull pen and over to Kate's desk. "Sit down and take some deep breaths."

"Kate, I didn't really see him. How can he be in there when I didn't see him?"

"Alexis, you were drugged. I talked to Lanie a while ago and said that she should have the reports back from the AC Medical Examiner at any time. While you were drugged, it's still possible that you might have become lucid for a brief period of time. During that period is when you probably saw Tucker."

"Shouldn't Paige see him, too?"

"We'll talk to Paige and see how she feels about it. The other witness is going to come in later. She's the one who gave us the sketch. If she id's Tucker, we might not need Paige."

At that moment, Kate's cell phone rang. "Beckett," she answered.

"Det. Beckett, this is Det. Carver from ACPD. We got a hit on one of the prints from the hotel room where Ms. Livingston was found. The print belongs to Jared Tucker. He was printed when he went to work for his old man. So he was definitely in the hotel room with one of your victims."

"Thank you, Det. Carver," Kate ended the call. "We've got him in the hotel room where Paige was found. His print was found by CSU."

"But shouldn't Paige still look at him?" Alexis asked.

"Alexis, when I saw Paige yesterday, she was barely holding it together. She doesn't have the support system that you do. You were able to identify him, even though you don't remember seeing him. When the other witness gets here, if she's able to give us a positive id, that's two witnesses. Yes, one more would be better, but I'm not sure how much more Paige can handle," Kate explained to her.

"Kate's right, sweetie," Castle knelt down by the chair. "While you're understandably very upset right now, you have all of us. Why don't you stay here for a little while? I'll go and make you some tea and once you're calmer, I'll take you and Gram home."

"Okay," Alexis agreed.

"I'm going to go and get Tucker ready to go to Central Booking. I'll be back soon," Kate squeezed Alexis' shoulder. "Castle, when Bridget Flynn gets here, bring her to the ob room and rap on the window to let me know that she's there."

"Okay. I'm going to go and make that tea."

Castle made Alexis her tea and then came out to sit in his chair beside Alexis. They were sitting there when the elevator doors opened and Bridget Flynn nervously stepped off, looking around as if she expected someone to jump out at her at any second. "Alexis, I'll be right back," Castle got up and approached the young woman at the elevator. "Bridget? I'm Richard Castle. We met at the hospital."

"I remember. I got a call saying that there was someone that the police wanted me to look at. Is it the man from the sketch?"

"Why don't we go and find out?" Castle guided Bridget toward the Ob Room. "He can't see you, okay?"

"He's the man from the party," she instantly identified him. "Is he one of the men who raped me?"

"We don't know. They just got his DNA this morning. It'll take a little while for the lab to get the results," Castle tapped on the window. "Det. Beckett's going to come out and talk to you for a minute about what happens next."

They watched Kate get up and leave the room, entering the Ob Room a few seconds later. "Hi, Bridget. Did you recognize him?"

"He's the man from the party," she repeated. "What happens now?"

"Well, we're running his DNA, but we have evidence that he attacked another young woman. Once we get the DNA results, the D.A. will call you about appearing before a grand jury. Unless he pleads out, in which case, you won't have to do anything further. How are you feeling?"

"I'm glad that you have him, but I don't know," she shrugged, tugging her long sleeves over the bandages that still remained on her wrists. "I'm seeing a therapist and going to group, but I hate sitting in a room with strangers. I feel like they're judging me."

Listening to her, Castle got an idea. He wondered if he could introduce Bridget to Alexis. "Bridget, could I introduce you to someone?" He asked as Kate shot him a look. "I'm thinking that maybe the two of you could help each other."

"I'm already seeing a therapist, Mr. Castle."

"This isn't a therapist. My daughter . . . she was also a victim of this guy and like you; she's really struggling right now. She's sitting out in the bullpen."

"Is it all right?" Bridget looked at Kate.

"As long as you don't discuss the details of your attacks with each other. If you do that, it could possibly damage the case."

"Okay, then I guess I'll meet her."

Alexis was chatting with Martha when she saw her dad coming back with the other young redhead. She was surprised when they both stopped in front of Kate's desk. "Alexis, this is Bridget. Bridget, this is my daughter, Alexis." He smiled at his daughter, unaware that he'd just changed the course of her life.

 **A/N #4: How does Alexis' life change? Ah, that will be explored in the next few chapters.**

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	12. Connecting the Dots

**DISCLAIMERS: 'Castle' still isn't mine.**

 **SUMMARY: Alexis starts therapy, while more evidence is found against Jared Tucker.**

 **A/N #1: I want to thank everybody for all of the great reviews. While this story has been slow going, I appreciate all of the support.**

 **A/N #2: 30 more days!**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 12: Connecting the Dots**

"So, your dad isn't a cop?" Bridget Flynn and Alexis were sitting across from each other at a table in Starbucks, having coffee and becoming better acquainted with each other.

"No, he's a mystery novelist," Alexis found her eyes drawn to the bandages around Bridget's wrists.

"You can ask me questions about it, you know?" Bridget's eyes met Alexis'. "About my wrists. I don't have anything to hide."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because Marc was my friend and he screwed me over. I can't believe that he actually let another guy drug and rape me. I couldn't deal with the way my mom looked at me. I knew that she'd tell my brothers and then all hell would break loose. I just figured dying would be easier, you know? Can I ask you a question? Have you thought about it?"

"No," Alexis was quick to shake her head. "I couldn't do that to my dad, my mom, and my grandmother."

"I thought that, too. But then my mother would look at me and I'd see her try to keep from crying. I didn't even want to go to the hospital. The therapist that they assigned to me has been really great. I'm finally starting to actually believe that what happened wasn't my fault."

"My friend Paige was with me that weekend. She thinks that what happened was her fault because she wanted to explore the casino. I don't know how to talk to her."

"It's hard to talk to someone when you're messed up, too. What do you do when you're not identifying rape suspects?" Bridget smiled, changing the subject.

"I'm a student at Columbia."

"That's cool. What're you majoring in?"

"Nothing. I haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up," Alexis deadpanned, causing Bridget to laugh. "What about you?"

"I work at as photographer's assistant. But I want to show my own work someday."

"You're a photographer?" Bridget nodded. "That's so cool."

"My mom gave me my first camera for my eighth birthday and I remember her telling me, 'Bridget, you'd better make those pictures count because I can only afford to get one roll developed a month.' I loved it when digital cameras came out. I think that your dad wanted us to meet for a reason. He said that you were struggling with what happened, too."

"I have trouble sleeping unless I know that my dad is nearby. Does talking to strangers really help?"

"I think it does. Would you like to come with me to my next group session and find out?"

"I don't know. Your therapist has never met me."

"I can call her and explain your situation. If you give me your phone number, I can have her call you. She'll probably want to meet you one on one first. Are you okay with that?"

"What about my friend Paige? She's worse than I am."

"But is she really? Let me talk to Dr. Lansing and then I'll have her call you."

"Okay," Alexis took a pad and pen from her purse and wrote her cell phone number on it. "This is my number."

"Here's mine," Bridget slid her phone number across the table. "I'd better get going. I told my boss I'd be back this afternoon."

"It was nice meeting you, Bridget," Alexis told her.

"Same here, Red. Later."

Alexis studied Bridget's number for several minutes before programming it into her cell phone. She still was unsure about the whole therapy thing. She'd gone to a therapist after Paris, someone that Kate's therapist had recommended highly. She'd only gone to a few sessions before she decided it wasn't for her. But she knew for a fact that she didn't want to fall to the level that Bridget had. She knew from her psychology courses that suicide didn't do anything but thrust your problems on your surviving loved ones. Like she'd told Bridget, she couldn't do that to the people that she loved.

***CCC***

"Hey, Beckett!" Ryan called across the bullpen to Kate, who was sitting at her desk nearby with Castle. "I just ran Tucker's financials and it seems that he's been renting a large storage unit off of Canal Street for the past 18 months."

"Call the company and find out how often that unit is accessed," Kate ordered.

"On it."

"A storage unit is a convenient place to store girls before you ship them overseas," Castle added.

"Yes, it is. Ryan, see if you can get the unit number while I get a search warrant."

"On it," Ryan called across the room.

It took Kate an hour to get a search warrant for the unit at Manhattan Storage. A sense of Déjà vu swept over Castle when they pulled up in front of the facility. The last time he'd been at Manhattan Storage, he and Kate had bid on a locker full of items that led them to a butler who'd committed a double murder. He remembered actually being able to say that 'the butler did it,' one of the biggest literary clichés of all time. Now he was hoping that they'd found the place where Laura Palmer was hidden. Kate with her team and ESU stopped in front of unit 400. One of the men from ESU popped the lock with a pair of bolt cutters before letting Kate and the boys take over. Kate stood on one side of the door while Esposito stood on the other. "On my count," Kate held out her hand. "One . . . two . . . three!"

Kate wasn't sure what she was expecting when they opened the door, but nothing prepared her for what they did find. "Holy shit," she heard Ryan's shocked voice behind her.

There were a dozen young women, all half-naked, chained together and half dead. "Dispatch, we need several buses at Manhattan Storage!"

"Roger."

The girls that were conscious were moaning and attempting to shield their eyes from the glare that was coming in through the opened door. "Capt. Miller, bring those bolt cutters in here and start cutting these girls loose!" Kate ordered. She knelt beside the first girl. "You're safe now and we're going to get you to a hospital. How long have you been here?"

"I don't know," the young woman muttered through dry, chapped lips. "I was drugged and when I woke up, I was in here. There weren't any lights, so I don't know how many days have gone by. Someone came in once and left a jug of water, but I don't know when that was."

"Well, you're going to be okay now," Kate's voice was shaky as she got back to her feet.

She walked past Castle and out of the unit. When he exited, he found her standing against the wall trying to get her emotions under control. "Are you okay?"

"How can human beings do that to each other, Castle? I keep thinking that it could've been Paige or Alexis in that storage locker."

"I know," he reached out for her hand. "We found them and they're going to be okay now."

***CCC***

It was total chaos at the hospital as medical personnel went around getting personal information on all of the girls. Kate, Ryan, and Esposito then made phone calls to the families of the girls, one of whom was the mother and fiancée of Laura Palmer, who was weak and extremely dehydrated like the other girls. Also like all of the other girls, she'd been viciously assaulted by her captors. "Laura, my name is Det. Kate Beckett. I know that you're very weak, but I just have a couple of questions. Do you recognize any of these men?" She showed Laura a photo lineup of six men, much the same as Ryan and Esposito were doing with the other women from the locker.

"Him," she pointed to a picture of Jared Tucker. "He brought water in to us. He raped the girl that was chained up next to me. Where's his partner?"

"We don't know anything about his partner. What can you tell me about him?"

"He has an accent. It's Russian, I think. Maybe Middle Eastern. He's short, maybe five foot six with really greasy dark hair. He also smells really awful."

"When's the last time that you saw him?" Kate asked.

"This morning. He'd come in every day and choose one of us to . . . do stuff to," tears trickled down her face.

"Detective," the doctor stepped in, "Ms. Palmer's family is here."

"Okay. Laura, get some rest and I'll talk to you again soon."

When Kate stepped out of the trauma room, she sighed when she saw Capt. Gates approaching. "I understand that you found several girls in a storage unit. How many exactly?"

"Eleven total. They're all dehydrated and some of them are suffering from exposure due to the temperature of the unit. They've all also been sexually assaulted on multiple occasions by Tucker and at least one other perpetrator."

"I take it that you're going to be talking to Mr. Tucker again," Capt. Gates assumed.

"Yes sir, I am. Right now. Come on, Castle."

Jared Tucker was sitting in a holding cell awaiting transport to the Tombs to be booked for sexual assault. Therefore, he was shocked when an officer came in and grabbed him, returning him to an interrogation room where Beckett and Castle were already waiting. "Who's your partner?" Kate asked after the officer had handcuffed Tucker to the table.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Newsflash," Kate bent over the table, her eyes level with Tucker's, "we found the girls. One of them told us that there was another man who came in and assaulted them. She gave me a vague description. Is he the one that you were selling the girls to?"

"I want a deal."

"Are you kidding me? You're facing multiple accounts of sexual assault, plus possible murder charges in the deaths of Sam Riley and Marc Gabrielle. Why in the hell do you think the D.A. would possibly cut you a deal?"

"Because I can give you the head of one of the biggest sex trafficking rings on the East Coast. Call the D.A. and tell him that I want to cut a deal."

***CCC***

Alexis was lying on her bed listening to the music coming from her iPod. She was thinking about what Bridget had said about seeing her therapist. She'd tried to call Paige, but her friend wasn't answering her cell. She'd then called her house phone, but her mother told her that Paige had left and hadn't said where she was going or when she'd be back. She promised to have her call Alexis when she returned home.

Alexis picked up her phone and was about to send Paige a text when the device rang. Seeing that the number was unfamiliar, she answered it with trepidation. "Hello?"

"May I speak to Alexis Castle, please?" A woman's voice came over the line.

"This is Alexis."

"Alexis, my name is Dr. Eileen Lansing. Bridget Flynn suggested that I call and talk to you. She said that you have a situation that you're having trouble dealing with."

"Did she tell you what the situation was?"

"No, but she thought maybe you needed someone to talk to. Would you like to come in and talk to me?"

"I don't know. I saw a therapist before—"

"And you didn't like it. Not all therapy is the same, Alexis. While one approach doesn't work, another might. Why don't you come in and we'll see what's what? I won't charge you for the initial session."

"When?"

"How about tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock?"

"Okay," Alexis agreed. "Where is your office located?"

After getting the address, Alexis ended the call and sent a text message to Paige. **'Please call me. I'm worried about you. I'm going to be seeing someone. I think you should think about maybe seeing her, too.'**

It was several minutes before she got a reply from Paige, but it wasn't the reply she was hoping for. **'I don't need to see anybody. I've got everything under control.'**

Now Alexis was truly terrified and worried for her friend. **'Paige, where are you? You're scaring me. Call me NOW!'** A second later, her cell rang. "Paige, where are you?"

"I'm at Brandon's," Paige's voice sounded slurred.

"You're at Brandon's? What the hell, Paige? Are you drunk?"

"Very. I just want to stop feeling, Alexis. I called Brandon and he brought me to his place. My parents don't get it, Alexis. I just want to stop feeling. I'll be all right. I don't need to see no stupid shrink."

"Paige, Brandon is _not_ the answer."

"Well, he is for right now. I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Paige, wait!" But she'd already hung up.

Alexis hung up and called Kate. She knew that the problem was Paige's parents and the only person who could get through to them was Kate. After getting Kate's voicemail, she left a message. "Kate, its Alexis. I just talked to Paige. She's at Brandon's. Kate, I'm worried about her. She said that her parents don't understand what she's going through. Can you please talk to them? I'm so worried about her."

She ended the call and threw herself into her pillow, sobbing about everything that had happened in her life in the past several days. When was it ever going to end?

 **A/N #3: I estimate three more chapters. I apologize for taking so long with this one, but I've been blocked, plus I've been helping my mom take care of three children; ages 8, 6 and 22 months. Their parents don't get home until after five, which doesn't leave me a lot of time to write.**

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	13. Finding Answers

**DISCLAIMERS: Oh, if only. But no.**

 **SUMMARY: Alexis has a long chat with Ryan and Esposito while Kate begins to wonder if this will be the case that destroys her.**

 **A/N #1: To the guest reviewer who asked me when I'm going back to my Ariel/Jack/Hope universe, I promise that as soon as I can come up with something that works, I will write about it.**

 **A/N #2: Thanks again to Kelly, who I hope is still enjoying her birthday month despite having to get a root canal. I hope you're feeling better.**

 **A/N #3: Thanks to all of my reviewers. You guys give me the incentive to keep pushing even when I'm so blocked I can't see straight.**

 **A/N #4: I got the name Mahmoody from the book and the movie 'Not Without My Daughter.'**

 **A/N #5: No kittens were hurt or killed during the writing of this chapter.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 13: Getting Answers**

"I got into some trouble with gambling debts," Jared Tucker was explaining to Kate, Castle and the D.A. "I owed money to the wrong people."

"Let me guess; the Russian Mob?" Kate queried as Tucker nodded. "How does that explain the girls?"

"One of the guys that I met at the tables introduced me to this guy who wanted girls."

"Give me a name, Tucker, or there isn't going to be a deal."

"Fazir Mahmoody. He's some big-shot Iranian businessman. He paid me to get him girls and I was able to pay off my debt to the Russians. But he just wanted more girls, so I made a deal with one of the bartenders at the Taj Mahal. He'd drug the girls and I'd take it from there."

"Why did you kill Sam Riley and Marc Gabrielle?" The D.A. asked.

"Sam had sex with one of the girls, which was against the rules. Mahmoody allowed me to have sex with them, but no one else. That was part of my cut in getting the girls. He would've had sex with the other girl that was still in the room, but I stopped him."

"By killing him?" Kate looked at him as he once again nodded. "What about Marc Gabrielle?"

"He got sloppy. He was supposed to stay with the girl until Mahmoody came to get her. Instead he left and went home to sleep. That was unacceptable. So I followed him to work and grabbed him."

"Where is Mahmoody?" The D.A. asked. "Was he the man raping the girls in the storage unit?"

"No, that was probably one of his sons. They went to the unit every other day to leave water for the girls."

"Again, where is he?" The D.A. repeated.

"I don't know where he lives. All I have is a number that I call when I have girls for him."

"Well, you're going to call that number and tell him that you have some girls for him," Kate told him.

"He won't answer unless he sees that it's my number."

"We'll get your cell phone from your personal possessions."

"If I call and tell him the girls are anywhere but the Taj Mahal, he's going to know that something's up."

"We'll set things up with the AC detectives," Kate looked at the D.A., who nodded his assent. "I'll get your phone and you _will_ make the call. Nobody deserves what you and Mahmoody did to those girls."

"Hey, I just gave him the girls," Tucker sneered. "What he did with them after that was his business."

"Wrong answer," Castle spoke for the first time. "We spoke to one of the girls and she picked you out of a photo array. She said that you were also coming to the storage unit and assaulting the girls."

"I'll see about getting your phone," Kate got up and left the room with Castle and the D.A., locking the door behind her. "Esposito," she called out as they headed back to the bullpen. "Get Tucker's cell phone from his personal effects. I have a phone call to make."

"What kind of a deal can you offer him?" Castle asked the D.A. while Kate was on the phone to Det. Carver in Atlantic City.

"Are you kidding? He isn't getting a deal. Not with two counts of murder, sexual assault and trafficking. The best I'll offer him is something that might allow him to come up for parole, but he's still going to be old and gray when that happens."

***CCC***

"What did Alexis want?" Brandon asked Paige.

"The usual. Checking on me, like I'm some moron who can't take care of herself. She says that she's going to see a shrink and she wants me to see her, too. My parents would just love that."

"Like they'd love you being here with me. Paige, I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

"For all of the stuff before. For being so damn jealous and possessive. Det. Beckett gave me a lot of stuff to think about when she bailed me out that morning."

"Bailed you out? Brandon, what're you talking about? Why were you in jail?"

"I sort of followed you to Atlantic City. I saw what was happening at the bar. I saw that guy take you upstairs and then I saw the bartender take Alexis upstairs. I tried to tell the security guy standing by the elevators, but he wouldn't let me go upstairs. I guess that I got pissed out and caused a scene. Anyway, I got arrested and thrown in the drunk tank. Det. Beckett bailed me out the next morning."

"Why did she bail you out?"

"First off, she wanted to know what I'd seen the night before and then she warned me to back off of you. She seriously gave me a lot to think about, Paige. I'm not kidding about that. I care about you," his eyes bore into hers. "But I can't hold you so tightly that you can't breathe."

"You have to stop being so jealous of my friends, Brandon. When I'm with someone, I'm with that one person. I'm not going to cheat on the person that I'm with. My parents have been married for 30 years. I might not be their favorite child, but they've shown me how to keep a marriage together."

"Paige, you have to know that your mom and dad love you very much."

"I know, but sometimes I don't think they like me very much. You see, they have Claire, the world's most perfect child and then they have Paden, the first boy born in the Livingston family in more than 50 years, so of course he's perfect. I'm the family fuck-up. Sometimes I wish I'd never been born."

"Paige—"

"When I was 16, Alexis and I got invited to a Halloween party hosted by seniors. One of the boys spiked the punch and I got drunk. Alexis called her dad, who forced her to give him my parents' phone number. I haven't been able to live that moment down yet. Every time I do something that either of them disapproves of, that moment gets thrown in my face. I was 16 and stupid!"

"Paige, what happened at that party wasn't your fault, any more than what happened in AC was your fault. Would going to this shrink that Alexis is seeing really be so awful?"

"I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It would be nice to have someone unbiased to talk to. I'll think about it."

"I'm glad," he reached for her hand. "As for us, could we maybe have a do-over?"

"Yeah, I'd consider a do-over," she moved closer and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Just promise to take it easy on me," he gave her a cheesy grin. "Like the country song says, I'm a work in progress."

***CCC***

"Moody, it's Tucker," the cell phone Espo had retrieved was on the table, with the speaker turned on so that the rest of the party in the interrogation room could hear.

"You had better be calling to say you have the girls I asked for," the heavily accented voice came across the speaker.

"Yeah, I got them. I even got a couple of extra girls to make up for the fuck-up over the weekend. No charge," he added.

"What time will they be ready?"

Kate wrote on a tablet and shoved it in front of Tucker, tapping to make sure he read the numbers exactly as she'd written them. "Room 818 at the Taj Mahal at 5:30."

"No more fuck-up's, Tucker."

"No more fuck-up's. Everything's cool."

The call ended and Esposito once again confiscated the cell phone. "I'll call Atlantic City to fill them in on the details," he said as Kate nodded.

"What happens to me now?" Tucker asked. "Do I get a deal?"

"The only thing I'm offering you is a chance to get out of prison while you're still breathing," the D.A. turned and walked out.

Kate took Tucker to a holding cell where he'd wait until someone came to transport him to the Tombs. She then went back to her desk and took out her cell phone where she was surprised to find a voicemail from Alexis. After listening to it, she threw her phone across her desk and scrubbed her hands through her hair, tangling it more than it already was. "Kate?" She turned to find Ryan standing behind her. "Is everything okay? Where's Castle?"

"Probably in the bathroom. Alexis left me a message. She's worried because Paige is with Brandon. She wants me to talk to her parents. I don't know what she expects me to do, Kevin," she sighed, fighting tears of exhaustion. "I can't make the Livingston's suddenly be model parents. There's only so much that I can do. I can't fix everybody."

She got up and quickly left the bullpen, leaving Ryan to watch and worry. "What's up, bro?" Esposito walked up beside him.

"This whole case is tying Beckett up in knots. She's worried about Alexis; she's worried about Paige; she's worried about those poor girls we found this morning."

"You think we should tell Castle?"

"Yeah, and then I think we should take a road trip."

"A road trip to where?" Espo was mystified.

"Casa Castle, dude. Grab your coat while I go talk to Castle."

Ryan found Castle in the break room, making a coffee for himself and a latte for Kate. "Can I make you one?" Castle turned toward his friend, only to stop short when he saw the look on his face. "Is something wrong?"

"I think Beckett might need a little bolstering. This case, you know?" The Irishman shrugged.

"Yeah, I do know. Where is she?"

"Bathroom, probably. Do you have a problem with me and Espo stopping by your place to talk to Alexis?"

"No, not at all. You guys are family, you know that."

"Thanks, Castle." Ryan's next stop was Capt. Gates office, where he rapped on the door, waiting to hear permission to enter. "Sir, Esposito and I are going to go out for about an hour."

"Do I want to know the reason, Det. Ryan?"

"Just giving a pep talk to a friend, sir."

"Then carry on."

"Yes, sir."

Kate was standing in front of the cracked mirror in the ladies restroom, staring at her distorted reflection staring back at her. She jumped slightly when she heard a knock on the door. "Kate, it's me. Are you okay?" She heard Castle's voice on the other side of the door.

"I'm okay, Castle," she opened the door and stepped out. "I just needed a breather."

"We're going to get them, Kate. All of them and then this nightmare will be over."

"No, it won't. The nightmare isn't going to end for those girls that we found this morning. It isn't going to end for Paige and Alexis, although they ended up being the lucky ones. I just have to accept the fact that I can't fix everything."

"What're you talking about?"

Kate led Castle back to her desk and picked up her cell phone. She turned on the speaker and replayed Alexis' message from earlier. "Kate, its Alexis. I just talked to Paige. She's at Brandon's. Kate, I'm worried about her. She said that her parents don't understand what she's going through. Can you please talk to them? I'm so worried about her."

"I don't know what she expects me to say to them, Rick. From what you've told me and from what I've heard from Alexis, Paige's parents have always been this way. I can't make them change. I can't make them change any more than I could make my dad stop drinking after my mom was murdered. I can't fix this, Castle!"

"Hey," he put his hands on her shoulder, glancing toward Gates' office. Even though they were married, the captain still frowned on PDA's in the workplace. "Alexis doesn't expect you to fix this, Kate. She's just hoping that maybe you can be the voice of reason. You have to make them see that Paige is tumbling down a dark, deep rabbit hole. And as a parent, that's kind of what you have to do on a daily basis. Try to fix what's broken."

"I never thought of myself as her parent before, Castle. I mean, she has you and she has her mom."

"Kate, she's never had her mom. She's had me and her grandmother. For a short time, she had Gina. But she's never really had Meredith. But now she has you. She looks up to you and she always has. Could you at least go over and try to talk to them? That way, at least you can assure Alexis that you gave it your best shot, even if the Livingston's are too hard-headed to listen to you."

"Okay, I'll go over there after I get off this afternoon."

"Thank you. Tonight, I will cook you a divine dinner, followed by a bubble bath."

"That sounds heavenly," she finally smiled.

***CCC***

Alexis wasn't expecting visitors, so she was surprised when the doorbell rang shortly after two that afternoon. Looking through the peephole, her heart began to pound when she saw Detectives Ryan and Esposito standing there. "Det. Ryan, Det. Esposito, is something wrong? Is my dad okay? Did something happen to Kate?"

"Whoa, Little Castle," Espo threw his hands up. "Everybody's okay. We came by to talk to you."

"Me? Why?" Alexis backed up, allowing them to enter the loft.

"Well, we wanted to check on you and make sure that you were okay."

"I'm good. I'm seeing someone tomorrow afternoon. Do you guys want some coffee?"

"Yeah, that would be great," Kevin nodded as Espo followed his lead. "Did Kate tell you that they found that missing girl?"

"Really? No, I haven't talked to either my dad or Kate today. I called her earlier and left a message, but she hasn't called me back. Was the girl okay?"

"Well, all things considered, yeah, she'll be okay. We found her and a bunch of other girls in a storage unit."

"If Paige hadn't been found, would she have ended up there?" Alexis walked over with two cups of coffee, cream and sugar.

"Probably," Espo said. "Have you talked to her?"

"Yeah, a couple of hours ago. She's at Brandon's. Doesn't she get what he is?"

"Alexis, when I was in Afghanistan, I had guys in my unit that couldn't find their ass from a hole in the ground. I felt like it was my responsibility to look out for them. I had to keep them from taking a sniper's bullet or stepping on an IED. One day my C.O. called me into his office. He reminded me that they signed up for service the same as me. That they knew the risks the same as me. He reminded me that my job was to look after myself, to make sure that I got my body home in one piece. He said that the other guys had to learn to take care of themselves or they'd be going home in boxes."

"But she's my best friend," Alexis argued.

"But she's also a grown woman, Alexis," Ryan entered the conversation. "Part of learning to be an adult is learning from your mistakes. Maybe this Brandon isn't right for her. But Paige has to make that decision on her own. The more that you, or Kate or her parents push her on the issue, the harder she's going to push back."

"Kate has to look out for you, Little Castle," Espo added. "This has been rough on her because she no sooner became a permanent part of your family than she got hit with her first family crisis. And this was so much bigger than a missed curfew or a speeding ticket."

"Beckett loves you and she loves your dad," Ryan said.

"Yeah," Alexis smiled. "We love her, too. It's just this whole thing has me so messed up. I worry about Paige and I worry about myself. I think about what direction I want my life to go in. I worry about disappointing my dad."

"Little Castle, you could _never_ disappoint that man," Espo smiled. "Not even a little bit."

"When he was my age, he already knew what he wanted to be. Kate had already been a cop for a couple of years when she was my age. I'm going to college, but I don't know what I want to be when I grow up."

"Kate told us that you were great when you went to Montreal with Castle when you were helping him investigate his disappearance. I bet that you'd make a great investigator," Ryan told her. "You have a good eye for detail and you're smart enough to ask the right questions. Maybe you should think about the academy when you graduate."

"And don't you ever forget that you helped to get an innocent man off of death row. How many other young people get to put that on their life's resume?" Esposito reminded her.

"I wouldn't have been able to do that if it hadn't been for my dad," Alexis looked down at her hands. "And I know that I couldn't have done it if you guys and Lanie hadn't been there to help.

"But, none of us would have even got involved in it if it hadn't been for you. You were the one who started the ball rolling. You're like Beckett in the fact that you're there for the victims," Ryan said.

"I just don't know how my dad would feel about me becoming a cop."

"Alexis, you're a grown-up now," Espo reminded her. "Think about how it would make you feel."

"I will," her face brightened in a smile. "You guys have been great!"

"Yeah, we know," Esposito said as Ryan groaned. "Remind Beckett of it from time to time."

"Not a problem."

"We'd better get back. Think about what we said and we'll talk to you soon," Ryan got up and walked toward the door with Esposito right behind him.

"Wait!" Alexis followed them, embracing first Ryan and then Esposito. "I'll talk to dad about getting everybody together for dinner or drinks at the Old Haunt once this case wraps."

"See? You're already talking like a cop," Ryan laughed. "Take care of yourself, Little Castle."

***CCC***

"This is pure bliss," Kate sighed, leaning back against Castle's chest in the almost full bathtub.

"Yes, it is. A lovely ending to a lovely day."

The AC detectives had called Kate shortly after six that evening to report that they had arrested Mahmoody, his sons and two other men in the sting operation at the hotel. Kate had then called Casey Swann and Bridget Flynn to deliver the good news before going to the hospital to let the other young women know. After coming home, she'd told Alexis, who had then texted Paige. "Alexis seemed happier this evening. Happier than I've seen her all week," Kate let out another sigh when Castle's fingers trailed down her inner thigh.

"The boys came over this afternoon and talked to her. Whatever they said must've made her feel better. I owe them drinks."

"Well, you owe me something else," she turned in his arms, brushing her lips against his. "Take me to bed, Castle. Now."

"You have to get up first," he mumbled against her mouth.

Falling asleep later with Kate's head resting on his chest, Castle felt that maybe now they could get back to something of a normal existence in the Castle/Beckett household. Or as normal as it ever was with a mystery writer and a homicide detective.

 **A/N #6: For those of you who read the chapter and are saying to yourselves: 'What the hell? There were no kittens in this chapter!' Here's the story: I sent KJ (Kelly) a message on FB last night saying that I was doubtful that I was going to finish this story before the hiatus deadline next month (I think it's Sept. 20). She asked me if kittens were going to die if I didn't finish the story. I was dared to post an author's note mentioning the kittens. Thanks for being my Ryan and Esposito, Kelly! Sometimes I just need a kick in the pants to get my mojo going again.**

 **A/N #7: I chose the name Paden (Paige's brother) from one of my favorite Kevin Kline movies 'Silverado.'**

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	14. Tales of Raising a Father

**DISCLAIMERS: Oh, how I wish.**

 **SUMMARY: Alexis begins her sessions with Dr. Lansing.**

 **A/N #1: Many thanks to Mark (at Shutterbug5269 on Twitter) for clarifying the whole hiatus deadline for me and for encouraging me to get to the 50K word mark by said deadline. Contrary to what I told him, there won't be a time jump in this story.**

 **A/N #2: I was going to have a time jump for this chapter, but after talking it over with my Unmuse Chuck, I decided against it. We wondered how Alexis has always felt about being raised by a single father.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 14: Tales of Raising a Father**

"Alexis?" Alexis found herself looking up from her magazine at a woman who was dressed in a sensible dark business suit and black shoes. "I'm Dr. Lansing. Let's go back to my office."

Alexis followed the doctor back to an office that held well worn, but comfortable looking furniture. "I still don't know why I'm here."

"Well, let's just chat for today. Would you like some water or perhaps some coffee?"

"Water would be okay," Alexis said, walking over and taking a seat on the leather couch.

"Here you are," Dr. Lansing handed her a bottle of cold water before taking a seat in an arm chair across from her. "I see from your questionnaire that you're 21 and in your second year at Columbia. What are you majoring in?"

"Uh, I haven't really decided. During high school, I did an internship with the OCME and also at the precinct where my step . . . my mom is a detective. I just haven't really decided what I want to do with my life."

"You're still very young. I know some people who wait until their late 20's or early 30's to decide what career path they want to take. I see that your parents are divorced. How old were you when they split up?"

"I'm not sure. Three or four, I think. It's always been me and my dad for as long as I can remember. My mother would make sporadic appearances, but she was never really a large part of my life."

"How did that make you feel?"

"When I was younger, sometimes it made me sad. All of my friends had moms and I didn't. But my dad has always been great about making sure that I always knew that I was loved. And I also had my grandmother. We were an unconventional family, but I got used to it."

"Did your father remarry while you were growing up?"

"Yes. He married my stepmother Gina when I was nine. They divorced when I was 14."

"Did you get along with her?"

"Yes. I loved her. But it always felt like she was always fighting with my father for my attention. It had been just me and him for so long before they got married that I guess he had trouble allowing someone else to show me attention."

"So they fought a lot?" The doctor asked as Alexis nodded. "How did you feel when they divorced? Did you blame yourself?"

"At first I did," Alexis admitted, "but my dad was quick to explain that the divorce wasn't my fault; it was just something that happened. He told me that I'd understand it when I was older."

"How does it feel having a best-selling novelist for a father?"

"I haven't ever known him to be anything else. That question is like asking me what it's like to have a father who's a broker on Wall Street or a janitor. I'm proud of him; I've always been proud of him."

"I read recently that he remarried. Tell me about your stepmother."

"Kate's not my stepmother," Alexis corrected as Dr. Lansing looked puzzled. "My dad met Kate when I was 15. From the first, she was somebody that I could talk to if I had a problem with anything. It didn't take long to realize that my dad was crazy about her. There was a time when I was angry at her and now I feel bad about that."

"Why were you angry at her? Did she do something to hurt your dad?"

"My dad got involved in helping her with a case," Alexis didn't want to go into the details regarding Johanna Beckett's murder. She felt that right now it wasn't Dr. Lansing's business. "He also started falling in love with her. But this case put Kate in a lot of danger. While she was giving the eulogy at a funeral, she got shot by a sniper. My dad tackled her, but he wasn't fast enough. He was standing just feet away from her and we saw the whole thing. Me, my grandmother and her father were all there. My dad was a wreck. Kate was gone the whole summer after she was released from the hospital and I thought that it was going to destroy him. When she came back to work, he went back to work with her."

"And you didn't want him to?"

"No," she shook her head. "I didn't talk to her for months."

"What changed?"

"I was angry at her for a very long time," Alexis remembered. "I thought that she was just stringing my dad along and it pissed me off. I thought that we were supposed to be talking about me."

"I want to understand everything that makes you who you are. Do you want to change the subject?" Dr. Lansing took note of the fact that Alexis hadn't said what had changed her feelings about her father's new wife.

"Yes, I do."

"Okay. What was it like being raised by your dad? Do you have a lot of fond memories?" For the first time since entering her office, Dr. Lansing saw a real smile light her patient's features.

"One of the benefits of having a best-selling author for a father is he works from home. He would write before I woke up in the mornings and after I went to sleep at night. He'd make me breakfast and we'd go to the park or to the museum. Or on Saturday's he'd take me to the New York Public Library and we'd wander around for hours. He instilled in me a love of reading at a very early age. Some of my fondest memories are my times spent with him before he married Gina."

"So, you were jealous of his relationship with Gina?"

"No, I never said that."

"But you did," the doctor corrected her. "And your jealousy is understandable. From the age of three or four until you were nine, you had your father to yourself. Then along comes this woman, who knows nothing about your times with him. I'm sure that he had to divide his time between you and his new wife. Am I right?"

Alexis hadn't realized until just that moment how jealous she had been when her dad had married his publisher. "They had this big fancy wedding. I was excited because I got to be a junior bridesmaid. But thinking about it now, I think that Gina made me a bridesmaid to placate me later."

"How so?" 

"During the reception, my father told me that he was taking Gina on a honeymoon and that I was going to stay with my Grams. He said that they were going to be gone for three months because it was some kind of around the world thing."

"Three months must've sounded like three years to you."

"I didn't understand why he didn't tell me earlier. I was mad at him for a long time after he returned home."

"I also understand that. Have you ever talked to him about it?"

"Why? It doesn't matter now. It happened over 10 years ago. I was a little kid at the time."

"But he still should've told you. It wasn't fair to tell you at the last minute."

"It just seems stupid to bring it up now. He's married to Kate and they're happy. It does no good to bring up the past. It happened and he can't fix it."

"I get the feeling that you think you're the person who always has to fix things."

"I don't understand what you mean. I thought that I was here to talk about what happened in Atlantic City."

"And we will talk about that, Alexis. The reason that I'm walking you through your past is to help you to understand that therapy can work if you give it a chance. Did your last therapist talk about your past with you?"

"No."

"Give me a chance. That's all that I ask. Can you do that?"

"I guess. Bridget said something about group."

"I don't think you need group sessions. Will you come back on Friday at the same time?"

"I guess."

"Then I look forward to seeing you on Friday," the doctor walked Alexis to the door of her office, watching the young woman walk to the elevator and press the down button.

Kate was in the kitchen when Alexis walked into the loft. "Hi," she called out, watching Alexis remove her coat and scarf, hanging them in the closet.

"Hi. Is my dad here?" Alexis walked over to the counter, perching on one of the stools.

"He's writing in his office. I was going to make enchiladas for dinner. Do you think you can fix Spanish rice to go with it?"

"Let me say hi to my dad and change clothes first," Alexis hopped off of the stool.

"There's no rush."

Castle was sitting in his chair with his laptop perched precariously on his knees when Alexis came into the room. "Hey, pumpkin," he placed his laptop on his desk, giving her a bright smile. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I just got home. I'm going to change clothes and help Kate with dinner. I just wanted to come in and let you know that I was home first."

"How was the doctor?"

"She . . . she . . . she seemed nice," Alexis finally managed to say. "I have another appointment with her on Friday. I'd better go change and help Kate."

Castle sat for a moment at his desk after Alexis left the room. Finally he got up and made his way to the living room, smiling at Kate, who was busy making dinner. "I thought that you were writing," she said.

"I was. I'm going to go upstairs and check on Alexis."

Alexis had just changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt when she heard a light tap on her door. "Come in."

"I just came to make sure that you were really okay," Castle stepped into the room.

"I'm okay. Dr. Lansing just made me think about things that I haven't thought about in a long time."

"What did she make you think about?" Castle sat on the edge of her bed.

"Dad, do you remember when you and Gina got married?"

"Of course. It was like a three-ring circus."

"Can I ask you something? Why didn't you tell me about the three-month long honeymoon trip before the wedding reception? Was that your idea of Gina's?"

"Gina was afraid that if we told you before the wedding, you'd beg me to take you with us. I kept telling her that you were more mature than that, but she didn't agree. You actually talked about that?"

"We talked about a lot of things, but that was one of them. I was angry at you for a long time after that."

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"I've been angry about a lot of things, but I just never realized it. It's weird how you just shove some things to the back of your mind and never think about them again until someone brings them up."

"I know."

"I'm going to go downstairs and make Spanish rice," she kissed her father on the cheek before leaving her room and heading downstairs.

Later that night, Kate was in the bathroom brushing her teeth and talking to Castle, who was already in bed. "I'm going to have to beg Alexis for that Spanish rice recipe. It was outstanding!" She called out, waiting for a response from her husband. "Castle?" She stopped in the bathroom doorway, puzzled when she saw her husband lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. "Castle?" She walked over to the bed and sat beside him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Did I ever tell you about mine and Gina's wedding?"

"You mentioned it a few times. Your mother referred to it once as a media circus."

"We decided to go around the world for our honeymoon," he sat up against the headboard, smiling when Kate climbed over him and settled beside him. He reached for her fingers before he continued. "I wanted to prepare Alexis that I was going to be gone for three months, but Gina disagreed. She said that Alexis should be used to me being gone on book tours. I argued and tried to make Gina understand that Alexis was being thrust into a whole new environment of having a stepmother for the first time. Somehow she convinced me that it would be better to just tell Alexis after the wedding."

"How old was Alexis?"

"She was nine, a very mature nine, but she was still a child."

"Let me guess that Alexis didn't take the news very well."

"When I went upstairs to talk to her earlier, she told me the subject had come up during her session with Dr. Lansing. It's all right for Alexis to talk about her sessions, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's all right. What did she say about it?"

"She told me that she was angry at me for a very long time. I don't blame her. What I did was selfish. Even now I can't believe that I agreed with Gina about waiting to tell her. Was she angry when I disappeared?"

"Our emotions were all over the place, all three of us. You saw how she was when you came back; how she didn't want to let you out of her sight. Castle, obviously she forgave you. It was a long time ago."

"I just wish that she'd said something at the time."

"Castle, she was a little girl who was trying to adjust to having to share her dad for the first time with someone besides her grandmother. I'm guessing that you brought her some expensive gifts from your trip."

"Yeah, I did."

"The gifts probably consoled her at the time. I'm sure that she didn't give it any more thought until she started talking to Dr. Lansing."

Settling her head on Castle's chest, Kate couldn't help wondering that if Alexis could bring up long repressed feelings of anger toward her father, what was going to happen when she started talking about her. Because Kate knew that Alexis had been angry at her for a very long time after her shooting. Anger that had dissipated somewhat, but had returned following hers' and Castle's engagement.

***CCC***

"Tell me more about what it was like growing up with a single father," Dr. Lansing opened their session on Friday.

"A lot of times it was like living with a big, overgrown kid. He taught me how to play laser tag when I was about five. We'd go to the zoo, museums, and the park, everything that a kid would want to do. He taught me how to read and ride a bike. He made sure that he was there any time that I needed him."

"Was he still the same after he married your stepmother?"

"Not all of the time. He and Gina went out a lot. They'd go to book launch parties, premieres, and a lot of trips. He tried to make it up for me when he was home, but I kind of felt left out. I kept waiting for Gina to suggest sending me to boarding school."

"Do you think your dad would've agreed to that?"

"I don't know. He went to a lot of boarding schools when he was growing up. He also got kicked out of a lot of schools growing up. I don't think he wanted that for me. But he also would get upset if Gina wanted to do things with me."

"Like what?"

"Gina didn't know me very well before she married my dad. After they got married, she would take me shopping or," Alexis smiled at the memory, "once she took me to get a manicure. I thought it was so cool because she wasn't treating me like a little kid, like my dad's other girlfriends always had. When I was in bed later, I heard her and my dad fighting about it. The longer they were married, the more that they seemed to fight."

"Did they always fight about you?"

"No," Alexis shook her head. "I think that Gina started cheating on my dad at some point. I think that the straw that broke the camel's back was when my grandmother moved in. She'd been married, but her husband stole all of her money. She didn't have anywhere else to go, so my dad asked her to move in with us. Gina and my Grams didn't exactly get along."

"It's rough having an in-law suddenly move in with you. How old were you at the time?"

"I'd just turned 15. That was about five or six months before my dad met Kate."

"Our time is almost up for today, so let's stop right there. How are you feeling after today's session?"

"A little better. I think I understand why you're making me talk about my life story. Because if I talk about everything, I can understand why I act the way that I do and make the choices that I make."

"You're on the right track. I will see you on Monday, then?" The doctor asked as Alexis nodded.

"I'll see you on Monday."

 **A/N #3: By having Alexis talk about** _ **everything**_ **, I can eke out several more chapters.**

 **A/N #4: Btw, I also happen to make awesome Spanish rice.**

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	15. Mommies Dearest

**DISCLAIMERS: I wish. If I owned 'Castle,' I'd be living in a tree house miles from everybody in my family.**

 **SUMMARY: Alexis continues her sessions with Dr. Lansing and has a talk with Paige.**

 **A/N #1: A few reviewers have asked what is going to become of Paige. Hopefully I will start clearing that up starting with this chapter.**

 **A/N #2: There's a slight time jump in this chapter.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 15: Mommies Dearest**

"How are things going with you and Brandon?" Alexis had met Paige for lunch near the school campus.

"Slowly. He's actually seeing a therapist. Why do all of you think that therapy is the answer?"

Alexis had been seeing Dr. Lansing twice a week for the past few weeks. She was starting to understand some things about herself that she'd never thought about. It was helping her to understand more about how it must've been for her father raising her alone. "Therapy isn't for everybody. Paige, how long has it been since you've slept?"

"I can't stop thinking about what might've happened that night. Every time I close my eyes I wonder how many guys there were. I know that they only found two DNA samples, but what if the others wore condoms?"

"Paige, the what-if's will drive you crazy if you let them. Have you talked to Brandon about that weekend?"

"No. I don't want to burden him with it. It happened to me, not him."

"But you're in a relationship with _him_. Paige, if you shut him out, eventually he's going to resent it. Will you please at least think about calling Dr. Lansing? Please?"

"You must really like her if you're begging," Paige finally smiled.

"I do like her," Alexis admitted. "She's easy to talk to. Tell me that you'll at least think about it."

"Okay, give me her number. I'm not making any promises, but I will think about it."

"Thanks," Alexis smiled brightly. "I have to get to class."

***CCC***

"Tell me about your mother," Dr. Lansing started hers' and Alexis' next session.

"My mother," Alexis took a deep breath before she continued. "My mother is beautiful. She's also incredibly self-absorbed. She's been that way my whole life and my father said she was like that when he first met her. It's just who she is."

"How is your relationship with her?"

"It's not your typical mother/daughter relationship. She seems to flit in and out of my life as the mood strikes her. She wants to do what she wants to do when she wants to do it, and to hell with what anybody else thinks."

"Can you give me an example of what you mean?"

"When I was nine, she came to town. I think it was right before my dad married Gina. I was really happy to see her because I didn't see her very often. She asked my dad if she could take me to lunch. He gave his consent for us to go to lunch. What she neglected to tell my dad was that we were going to lunch in Paris."

"Paris, France?" The doctor's expression was one of bemusement.

"The very same. I didn't know that she didn't have my father's permission to take me out of New York City. I remember that when my father tracked us down, they had an awful argument. He told her that she was lucky he wasn't having her charged with kidnapping."

"Yes, she was very lucky. What happened after that?"

"My dad took me back to New York with him. When we got home, he sat me down and very carefully explained to me that what my mom did wasn't right. I think he also made sure that my mother didn't have access to any of my legal documents in case she did it again."

"When did you see her next?"

"I actually saw her quite a bit while my dad was married to Gina. My mom didn't want Gina to take her place as my mother. But my dad wouldn't allow her to take me out of the city, so when she came to town, she stayed at The Four Seasons and I'd stay with her there. We did have good times together. My mom has always loved to shop, so she'd buy me some amazing things."

"Did your parents get along after their divorce, except for the whole taking you out of the country for lunch thing?"

"I think my parents got along a little too well after their divorce," Alexis squirmed in her chair.

"Meaning?"

"Before my father married Gina and after their divorce, my parents would hook up when my mom came to town. My mother told me this when I was about 14 or so."

"So, they'd have sex?"

"Yeah. Can we please just skip over that? It has nothing to do with me."

"How did you feel about them having sex when they'd get together?"

"They were consenting adults."

"So, it wasn't confusing to you?"

"No," Alexis shook her head. "I'm not going to deny that when I was younger that I had fantasies of my parents getting back together so that we could all live happily ever after. But my dad told me when I was in first or second grade that wasn't going to happen. He told me that he'd always care for my mother, but they weren't going to get back together."

"Does your mother get along with Kate?"

"I don't think my mother thinks anything about Kate, one way or the other. But I do think that she tried to break Kate and my dad up before they got engaged."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I got sick with mono during my first year at Columbia. Kate was staying with us because her apartment was being fumigated."

"How did you feel about that?"

"I didn't care," she shrugged. "I was sick and Kate needed a place to stay. It really wasn't that big of a deal."

"Yes, it was." 

"Why are you saying that? I like Kate; I always have. I thought that we were talking about Meredith. How did we start talking about Kate?"

"All right, so let's talk about Meredith. You said that you were sick and Kate was staying with you, your dad and I assume your grandmother," the doctor looked at Alexis, who nodded. "What happened?"

"My mother and I had made plans to go to Paris during my break from school. But when I got sick, my dad called her to cancel. Well, guess who showed up after I got sick?"

"Meredith," the doctor correctly guessed.

"And not only did she show up, but she brought her luggage. Her story was that she was going to nurse me back to health. My mother hadn't taken care of me during an illness since I was a baby. I don't think that's why she was there."

"What do you think her true agenda was?"

"I had told my mom about my dad and Kate. She asked me a lot of questions, but they were the typical questions that an ex asks about the new person in her ex-husband's life, so I didn't think too much about it. But during some of the times when I was awake, she kept asking me if I thought my dad and Kate were really happy. I insisted that they were. My dad was the happiest he'd been in a long time. Then she asked me if I was happy that they were together."

"And I take it that you weren't?"

"I like Kate; I really do," Alexis was quick to insist.

"I'm sure that you do."

"Anyway, I think she came to New York to see if she could break them up. But when she saw them together, she knew that wasn't going to happen. I didn't see her again until—" Alexis took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Until when?"

"Until after Paris," Alexis whispered.

The timer on the doctor's desk went off, causing Alexis to jump, but signaling that their time was up for the day. "We'll talk about Paris on Friday. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's okay."

It was bitterly cold when Alexis stepped out of Dr. Lansing's office. She walked toward the subway, looking at the store windows along the way, all of them decorated for Christmas, which was just a few weeks away. After walking down to catch the train, she glanced at her cell phone, seeing that she had a message from her dad. **'Kate won't be home until late. Would you like to go out for dinner?'**

Alexis thought for several seconds before answering. **'Can we order in instead? I don't feel like going out. I'll be home soon. ILY.'**

When she walked into the loft almost an hour later, Castle was in the kitchen setting containers out on the counter. "I ordered Chinese. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's great. Did Kate catch a case?" She came over and sat on one of the stools.

"No, there was some kind of meeting that I'm not privy to. How was your day?" He placed a plate in front of her.

"It was okay. I had morning classes, and then I had my session with Dr. Lansing."

"How did it go today?"

"We started talking about mom."

"Was it rough?"

"How do psychiatrists know when they're treading on a difficult subject?" Alexis changed the subject.

"They're trained to read body language, much like a cop does. You know how Kate can always tell when she's not getting the whole story from one of us?" He asked as Alexis nodded. "That's how shrinks are. Why?"

"Do you remember when I got mono and Kate was staying here?"

"How can I forget?"

"Dad, I really didn't mind Kate being here. At that point I was too miserable to care about anything."

"I know that you didn't mind Kate being here."

"I think mom was trying to stir things up between you and her."

"I know. Kate told me," he came around and sat beside her at the counter. "Sweetie, you do realize that you're never going to have a conventional mother/daughter relationship with Meredith, don't you?"

"Dad, I knew that when I was eight. It is what it is. I love her because she's my mother. Is she ever going to be Mother of the Year? No."

"What else is on your mind besides Meredith?" He bit into an eggroll.

"Did you think that I acted like a bitch when you first told me that you were dating Kate?"

"Well, I wouldn't go _that_ far."

"I'm really sorry. I was just worried that she was going to hurt you; like she did after she got shot."

"I know, sweetie. And I forgave your behavior a long time ago. How's Paige? Have you talked to her since the two of you had lunch the other day?"

"No. I think she's okay. I'm sure that her mom is still giving her a rough time. Thank you for dinner. I need to go upstairs and study. I have an exam coming up," she kissed him on the cheek before getting up. "Leave the dishes and I'll clean up later."

"It's all right, sweetie. I'll put the dishes in the dishwasher."

"Thanks, dad."

Castle was stretched out on the sofa reading when he heard Kate's key in the front door. "It is freezing out there," she quickly shed her coat and scarf, hanging both in the closet before rushing over to greet her husband. "Oh, but you're nice and warm," she snuggled into him, relishing the feel of his arms wrapping around her.

"How was your meeting?"

"A regular yawnfest. Your usual boring stuff about case closure rates and comstats."

"I ordered Chinese food earlier if you're hungry."

"I'm hungry, but not for food," she stood up and grabbed his hands, tugging him off of the sofa and toward their bedroom.

***CCC***

"We had just started talking about Paris when our last session ended. Do you want to talk about that today?"

"I think that some of the events of Paris tie in with what happened in Atlantic City."

"How so? Were the two event related?"

"No, one had nothing to do with the other. It's just that I sort of shut down after both events. Kate told me that she thought that maybe I was suffering from PTSD."

"Why don't you tell me about Paris? Let's put the possibility of PTSD on the back burner for right now." Dr. Lansing suggested.

"I had gone to a lecture one night with a friend from school. When we came out, someone grabbed both of us. They drugged us because when we woke up, we were in a strange room being held by someone who was speaking Arabic. I managed to get the door unlocked and we both made a run for it. I found a phone and called my dad. While I was talking to him, I heard the men who were holding us coming. My dad told me to run," she took some deep breaths to calm her racing heart. "I ran out onto the roof and that's when I saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance."

"You had been taken to Paris?"

"I can't go into the whole story, but my dad flew to Paris to rescue me. I half expected my mom to be at home when I got there, but she wasn't."

"Did you ask your dad about it?"

"He said that he called my mother and told her what had happened, but he asked her to stay in L.A. My grandmother told me that he wanted to use his energy to find me without having to worry about her, too. She came to see me about a week after I got home. I couldn't sleep, so I asked her if she could bring me something."

"Why didn't you tell your dad or grandmother that you were having trouble sleeping?"

"My dad struggled after he brought me home. I don't think he was sleeping too well, either. I didn't want to worry him."

"I take it that your mother brought you something to help you sleep."

"Yes. And it helped. But my mother wanted to know every detail about my abduction and there were parts of it that neither my father nor I could talk about. She didn't seem to understand that. She got me so upset that my father asked her to please go back to Los Angeles."

"Did you suffer any fears following what happened in Paris?"

"No, at least I don't think so. I had a lot of nightmares, but I expected that."

"Let's talk about Meredith for a bit. Were you ever upset that she didn't seem to fight for custody of you?"

"I was upset about it when I was younger. But as I got older, I came to realize that if I had lived with her, she would've probably left me with nannies or sent me away to school. I knew my dad never would've allowed that to happen."

"How did it make you feel when your mom wasn't in New York when your father brought you home? The truth, Alexis," the doctor gave her a sharp look.

"I was angry," Alexis admitted. "She missed most of my birthdays, and Christmases. She couldn't be bothered to attend my graduation. She writes a lot of checks and thinks that makes up for not being around."

"Were you mad at your father for asking her to stay in Los Angeles?"

"I know why my dad asked her not to fly up. My mother is an actress and a huge drama queen. She thinks that everything is about her. My dad was trying to keep himself together as well as my grandmother, who's also an actress."

"And a drama queen?" Dr. Lansing added.

"No," Alexis smiled. "My grandmother is melodramatic and something of a diva sometimes, but she's not a drama queen."

"Why can't you talk about Paris?"

"It's a State Department thing. I can't say any more than that. Is my time almost done for today?"

"Yes, it is. I didn't mean to upset you, Alexis."

"I'm not upset," Alexis got up and slipped into her coat and gloves. "I'll see you next week."

Dr. Lansing was working on her notes two hours later when her phone rang on her desk. "Yes, Cecilia?" She answered the phone to hear her receptionist on the other end. "Please send her in."

A moment later, Dr. Lansing's office door opened. "You must be Paige," she looked up at the young woman with the dark hair and huge dark circles under her eyes. "Have a seat and let's talk."

"I was raped a few weeks ago," Paige stated as she sat down and crossed her legs under her.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Was the perpetrator caught?"

"They arrested several people. Two of them were responsible for my rape. My mother doesn't understand. She acts like it was my fault; like everything I've ever done my entire life has been my fault."

"Do you feel like the rape was your fault?"

"No, I know that me and my friend didn't do anything wrong. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I just want to understand why my parents . . . well, actually my mother thinks that I did something wrong."

"Are you an only child?"

"No. I have a sister who's six years older. Claire is the golden child. She never did anything wrong her entire life. And I have a brother who is eight years younger than I am. He's perfect because he's the first boy born in my father's family in decades, so of course he's the little prince. So that leaves me, the family fuck-up."

"Paige, do your parents know that you're here?"

"No. I got the money to come here by telling my mother that I was going shopping, which is something she understands very well. If I told her that I was coming to a shrink, it would further convince her that I'm totally screwed up."

Dr. Lansing sat back and looked at the young woman sitting across from her. She wasn't so sure that she needed individual therapy, but it was clear to her that there was something very wrong going on in her family. And she knew that if she didn't get things straightened out, this young woman was likely to do something desperate in a bid for some much needed attention. Paige Livingston was clearly crying out for help.

 **A/N #3: Someone pointed out that Alexis should actually be a junior at Columbia. I apologize for the discrepancy.**

 **A/N #4: The next chapter, Alexis talks about Kate and I'm guessing a lot of anger is going to come out.**

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	16. Family Matters

**DISCLAIMERS: I own nothing that anyone would recognize.**

 **SUMMARY: Dr. Lansing meets Paige's parents and Alexis talks to Dr. Lansing about when her father went missing.**

 **A/N #1: To the guest reviewer in the previous chapter who commented on Paige's brother being the first male Livingston in decades, I'm basing this story on the assumption that Paige's father might be in his late 50's/early 60's. Her brother could be the first male on her father's side of the family since him.**

 **A/N #2: To Fixitmr and ThePutz913, not everything Alexis is going to talk about dealing with her relationship with Kate will be in anger.**

 **A/N #3: Thanks again to Kelly. I forgot to thank her in the last couple of chapters. Thanks, girl! (Even though I'm not a Michigan fan.)**

 **A/N #4: There will be another short time jump in this chapter.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 16: Family Matters**

"I don't understand why you dragged your father and me to Brooklyn when you already have a therapist in Manhattan. Doctor, I'm afraid that Paige has wasted your time," Caroline Livingston stood up and walked over to the coat rack to retrieve her coat. "Robert, let's go!"

"Mrs. Livingston, I brought you and your husband here today because Paige wants to talk to the both of you and she feels that you're not listening to what she has to say."

"Doctor, we know all about Atlantic City and frankly, I'm tired of hearing about it. It happened, it's over. Paige needs to learn to move on."

"Tired of hearing about what, mom?" Paige stared at her mother in disbelief. "When I tried to tell you what happened, you cut me off and told dad that what happened was my fault, as usual."

"Paige, you told me that you had been drugged and didn't remember anything. How can you talk about something that you don't remember? Why didn't you tell me that you wanted to talk to a therapist? I would've called Dr. Winters."

"I don't remember the attack, _mother_ , but I remember everything from when I woke up _naked_ in a strange hotel room. And Dr. Winters is your shrink, not mine."

"Please sit back down, Mrs. Livingston," Dr. Lansing motioned toward the sofa. "Paige has told me that you have two other children. Tell me about them."

"Why do you want to know about Claire and Paden?"

"Indulge me," the therapist said sardonically.

"Claire is our oldest daughter. She works at a brokerage firm on Wall Street. Paden is 13 and he's in middle school."

"Would you like to hear how Paige described her sister and brother?" Dr. Lansing looked at her notes. "Claire is your golden child and Paden is the little prince. Paige describes herself as the family fuckup."

"That's ridiculous!" Caroline Livingston glared at her daughter.

"I heard you tell dad after I came back from Atlantic City that weekend that I have been nothing but trouble since I turned 13. I heard you say that, mother! Are you going to deny it now?" 

"Paige, you're just something of a wild child. I was hoping that your better class of friends from Marlowe Prep would help straighten you out, but instead you just got into more trouble."

"Doctor, we realize that a lot of children experiment with drugs and alcohol, but Paige goes out with boys that we don't like, and now we have this . . . situation in Atlantic City to contend with," Robert Livingston spoke up for the first time.

"Paige and I have talked about Brandon. She has told me that Brandon is seeing a therapist of his own to work on his issues. But she has also told me that Brandon genuinely cares about her and her about him."

"And it wasn't a _situation_ , dad," Paige corrected her father. "I was drugged and raped. For the past month and a half, I've had to deal with the possibility that one of them might have got me pregnant."

"Good heavens, Paige," her mother gasped.

"Relax, mother," Paige scoffed. "I got my period yesterday. You can relax. There's still that chance that your first grandchild can come from Golden Child Claire."

"Do we really have to sit here and listen to this? From our own daughter?" Caroline was visibly outraged.

"Personally, I'm happy to see this side of Paige finally emerging. It beats the side that first came to my office two weeks ago. That side was suicidal and depressed. So yes, I think you should sit and listen to what she has to say."

Mrs. Livingston sat back and folded her arms over her chest, clearly irritated. "Exactly what is on your mind, Paige?"

"It's all right, Paige," Dr. Lansing encouraged her. "Tell your parents what you and I have talked about."

"I'm tired of being blamed for things that aren't my fault. When I got drunk at the Halloween party when I was 16, you blamed me. I didn't know that the punch was spiked. I tried to warn Mr. Castle that you'd murder me, but he made Alexis give him your number."

"Paige, that was a long time ago," Mr. Livingston reminded his daughter. "The only reason that we even allowed you to go to that party was because we knew Alexis was going with you."

"And thank heavens that she was. Because god only knows what would've happened if she hadn't been there," her mother added.

"Yeah, because obviously I'm too stupid to call either of you when I'm in trouble. You would've been angry at me if I had called."

"Paige, it happened and it's over. It's time to let it go."

"Has it ever occurred to either of you that the reason that I don't let things go is because every single time I do anything wrong, you throw up everything I've done wrong in the past. It's because of the two of you that I can't let anything go!" Paige shouted at them. "Dr. Lansing, I told you that this was a bad idea! I told you that they weren't going to listen to me!"

"Paige, do you remember what I told you?"

"Yes."

"What did I tell you?"

"That I had to give them a chance."

"Why don't you step out for a moment and let me talk to your parents?"

Paige got up and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Once Dr. Lansing felt that it was safe to proceed, she leaned forward in her chair. "I have no doubt that you both love your daughter very much. If you didn't, you wouldn't be here today. But you need to listen to what she has to say. By sitting there and telling her that since something is in the past, she needs to let it go is belittling Paige's feelings. To Paige, these events are very present to her. The events of Atlantic City has been very hard for her to talk about, in part because she has no memory of the actual attack; but also because rape is a very difficult thing to talk about, anyway. I'm asking you to please sit here and let her talk to you about how she's feeling."

After a few minutes, both Livingston's nodded, so Dr. Lansing got up and went to get Paige from the waiting room. "Paige, your mother and I are sorry," her father apologized first. "We didn't realize that you felt like we were constantly attacking you."

"I know that you and mom don't like Brandon. There were things that he was doing that weren't right. He's going to a counselor and is trying to fix those things that made him so bad for me. But I can talk to him and he doesn't judge me. He's never once told me that what happened to me and Alexis was our fault. I was mad that morning after it happened. Kate . . . Det. Beckett called Mr. Castle and he drove up to be with Alexis. I tried to call you and you weren't home. Where were you?" Paige's voice was thick with tears. "I needed my mom and dad, but when I called both of you, all I got was your voicemail. Where were you?" She repeated, becoming increasingly agitated.

"I don't know where we were, Paige," her father stated. "We might've been out to brunch with Claire and Paden—"

"Of course that's where you were. It figures that you'd be with your more perfect children." 

"Paige, you were home by the time that we returned," her mother said. "You were in your room and you wouldn't tell us what had happened. We didn't know anything until we spoke to Det. Beckett."

"It wasn't fair," Paige sobbed.

"What wasn't fair, Paige?" Her mother asked.

"Alexis got her dad that day! I wanted my mom and dad! I wanted somebody there who loved me! I wanted somebody there who cared about me! When I woke up in that room, I knew you were going to be mad at me! It didn't matter! I still needed you two and you weren't there!"

Listening to his younger daughters' rant toward him and her mother, Robert Livingston's mind went back in time. He remembered holding her for the first time, the look on her small face so trusting. How could he have failed her so badly? "Paige, I'm so, so sorry," he walked over toward her. "I'm sorry that you were so scared and alone. But I don't know how to fix this." He looked at Dr. Lansing. "How do _we_ fix this?"

"It's not going to be easy. There's not a magic pill that the three of you can take so that you wake up one day and find that you're all better. And the truth is you might not be able to completely fix this. But I can help you and your family learn how to communicate with each other better. The question is are you willing to put in the work? All of you?" Dr. Lansing looked pointedly at Caroline Livingston, who still seemed clearly annoyed by her daughters' outburst.

"We'll come in and _we will_ put in the work," Mr. Livingston glared at his wife.

"What about you, Paige? Are you willing to put in the work? Your parents will never be what you expect them to be, but if you're willing to work, you can make your relationship with them better."

"I just want to be listened to. I just want them to understand that I matter."

"Then why don't we make an appointment for next Monday and start fixing this?" The doctor suggested.

"We'll be here," Mr. Livingston replied.

"This is ridiculous," Mrs. Livingston got to her feet. "Paige, I've had quite enough of you acting like a five-year-old. Robert, we're leaving. Paige, if you want a ride with us, then I suggest you come along."

"Caroline, enough!" Robert Livingston suddenly roared, causing his wife to visibly jump back. "Have you not heard anything that our daughter just said? For 30 years, you have dictated every aspect of our lives! When we go to sleep, when we wake up, what we eat, where we go for vacation! Enough! If you don't want to participate in family therapy, that's fine. That's your choice. But I will have you know that if you don't wish to do this, I will be contacting a divorce attorney when I get home this afternoon and when I do, I will be asking for full custody of our son."

"That's blackmail."

"Call it what you want. I don't know about Paige and her siblings, but I'm tired of marching to your orders."

"Fine," she huffed. "Can we please just go home now? I think the doctor has heard enough of our dirty laundry for one day."

"Make an appointment with my receptionist on your way out."

***CCC***

"Do you and your dad have a Christmas tradition that you follow every year?" Dr. Lansing opened her session with Alexis two days later.

"My dad loves Christmas," Alexis smiled. "Gram says he's always been like that even when he was a little boy and they didn't have a lot of money. Our Christmas tradition starts the day after Thanksgiving. That's when the decorating starts."

"Does Kate fit in with your tradition?"

"Not at first," Alexis began playing with a thread on her sweater. "Christmas is a rough time of year for Kate. Her mom died a couple of weeks after Christmas when she was still a teenager. In fact, she wasn't much younger than I am now."

"Tell me about your relationship with Kate. You told me during an earlier session that there was a time when you were angry with her. Are you upset with her about the events that took place in Atlantic City?"

"No," Alexis was quick to shake her head. "I'm a grown woman. Kate is much more aware of that than my dad is. Going to that bar that night was my decision. My anger has been over for a long time now. It's obvious to anybody who sees them that she's crazy about my dad and I know he feels the same about her."

"How old were you when she met your dad?"

"Fifteen. My dad had been divorced from Gina for a little less than a year, I think. I knew from the moment they met that my dad was intrigued by her. She was different than any woman he'd ever met before. His looks meant nothing to her. My dad was used to women falling all over him because of his looks."

"What did you think about her?"

"I didn't really get to know her for a while after he started shadowing her. She came to our apartment one night while my dad and I were playing laser tag," she smiled at the memory. "I could tell from the look on her face that she was wondering what she had stumbled into."

"When did you finally get to know her better?"

"I needed some advice and I knew that I couldn't talk to my father or my grandmother. My dad was always talking about how smart she was. He'd also told me that she'd gone to Russia for a semester at school. I called her and she met me at a coffee shop. I told her that our school was starting a foreign exchange program and I asked her if she thought I should think about enrolling in it. She told me all kinds of stories about her time in Russia. She was funny and she gave me some really great advice. She also told me that I could talk to her about anything. She said that while she might not tell me what I wanted to hear, she'd always be willing to listen."

"How did you feel when they got engaged?"

"I was angry about it. But that was because I didn't hear the news from him. I was in Costa Rica for the summer and I learned about their engagement from my grandmother. In anger, I found someone of my own."

"What do you mean, you found someone of your own?"

"I hooked up. His name was Pi and deep inside I knew that he would drive my dad crazy. I brought him home to New York while my dad was on a West Coast book tour and Kate was in DC working on a task force for the Attorney General."

"Your father wasn't pleased when he returned home," Dr. Lansing guessed.

"That would be an understatement," Alexis sighed. "After Kate returned from DC, she was at the loft all of the time, which made things a little crowded, so I ended up getting a place with Pi. It put a huge strain on my relationship with my dad, but I think Kate had a hand in convincing him that I was a big girl, so I had to learn from my mistakes."

"I'm to take it that things didn't work out with Pi?" Dr. Lansing guessed.

"No. And I was afraid to go back home because it would mean admitting that my dad was right and I was wrong. I met Kate one night at a coffee shop and we talked for the first time as two women. That was when the hurt finally started to let up. She told me that I had punished myself enough and it was time to come home."

"How are things between the two of you now?"

"Things are good. My dad went missing on their original wedding day. He was missing for more than two months."

"I know. It was all over the news. That must've been difficult on you, Kate and your grandmother."

"At first we were just numb. And then as time went on, I began to get really angry. I didn't know that Kate was feeling the same way until I heard her one night in my dad's office. She was throwing things and screaming at him. When she saw that I was there, she instantly apologized, but I told her that I felt the same way."

"How did you resolve those feelings of anger?"

"Oh, wow," Alexis ran a hand through her hair.

"Alexis? I'm not here to judge. I'm here to help. What did you do?"

"My dad loves his Scotch," she smiled wistfully. "So does Kate. She opened a bottle of his vintage Scotch and we both kind of got a little wasted. Then we proceeded to call my dad every name that we could think of for leaving us like he had. Then we started crying because we felt so guilty for the name calling. But it felt good to let out all of that grief and rage."

"I'm sure that it did."

"When are we going to talk about Atlantic City?"

"Soon."

"Good, because I think we're running out of family members for me to talk about."

***CCC***

Alexis was in her room studying with her ear buds in when she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a foot in the air. She turned to find Kate standing behind her. "Alexis, I'm so sorry," Kate apologized. "I knocked, but you didn't hear me. How did it go today?"

"Good. Really good. We talked about when dad went missing. Have you ever told him what happened to his 30-year-old bottle of Scotch?"

"No, but I figure I'll have to come clean one of these days."

"I'm glad that you were here when that happened. I'm not sure I could've handled it if you hadn't been."

"Alexis, you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I wish it hadn't happened, but I'm glad that I had you and your grandmother, too," she reached out and hugged the young woman. "Your dad should be home from Black Pawn soon. I think I'm going to call in a pizza."

"Sounds good to me," Alexis grinned.

 **A/N #4: I'm going to add more chapters to 'All of the Songs Make Sense.' I'll let Kate tell Castle about the Scotch in one of those chapters.**

 **A/N #5: I'm figuring one more chapter and then an epilogue.**

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	17. Facing Demons

**DISCLAIMERS: No, the show still doesn't belong to me.**

 **SUMMARY: Alexis talks about her feelings regarding Atlantic City.**

 **A/N #1: I'm heading into the home stretch. This is the last chapter, although there will be an epilogue.**

 **A/N #2: I will go back to Paige in the epilogue. I've appreciated all of the reviews and critique about this story. To the guest reviewer who told me that I had Paige's parents divorced in an earlier chapter, I apologize. I try to keep my continuity consistent, and I try to go back to make sure of my facts. That fact just happened to slip by me.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **CHAPTER 17: Facing Demons**

Castle was in his office working on the latest chapter of his newest novel when he looked up to find Alexis leaning in his doorway. "Hey, sweetie," he quickly saved his document and closed his laptop. "I didn't hear you come in. How was class today?"

"Okay," Alexis walked in and sat in the chair by his desk. "Dad, when I go in to talk to Dr. Lansing next time, we're going to talk about Atlantic City. But I think that we're probably going to talk about Paris, too."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I still don't remember too much about Atlantic City. But I remember everything about Paris from when Sarah and I woke up in that room. How do I explain that?"

"It's simple. You just tell her what you told me. You can't talk about what you don't remember."

"Do you think that I'll ever remember?"

"Alexis, I honestly don't know. Listen," he got up and came over to sit on the arm of the chair, "I know that you still don't like talking about Paris. But maybe she can help you close that chapter of your life and move on away from it. Kate told me once that that's what therapy does. It helps you put things away."

"She went during the summer; while you were missing," Alexis clarified as her father nodded. "She told me one night it was because she just needed to talk to someone besides me and Grams."

"Alexis, do you want me to go with you to your next session? I can be your moral support when you come out."

"Would you?" Alexis' face instantly brightened. "Thank you!"

She hugged and kissed him before running out of the room, narrowly avoiding running into Kate on her way out. "What was that all about?" She laughed, walking over and settling into Castle's warm embrace.

"That was teenage exuberance," he kissed her on the lips.

"Except Alexis isn't a teenager, anymore," she reminded him.

"Okay, then young woman exuberance. I'm going to go with her when she goes to see Dr. Lansing again. They're going to talk about Atlantic City and possibly Paris. I didn't know you saw Burke during the summer," he changed the subject.

"Just a few times when I felt like the walls were closing in on me. I couldn't dump everything on Martha and Alexis. After all, they were dealing with their grief, too."

"I'm sorry, Kate. I really am," he apologized for what had to be the hundredth time since he'd returned home.

"Stop," she pressed her fingers to his lips. "We're newlyweds. That means we're supposed to be _happy_."

"I am happy," he kissed her again. "You make me happy every single day."

"Then, let me change clothes and you can help me make dinner."

***CCC***

It was a bitterly cold, snowy day when Alexis once again found herself sitting on the battered sofa in Dr. Lansing's office. "When we first talked, you told me that you were kidnapped and taken to Paris. Do you feel like talking about that?"

"I suppose I have to at some point," Alexis pulled her legs up under her. "You should know, though, that some of it is classified and I'm not allowed to talk about it."

"When did this happen?"

"It's been almost two years now."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"I had gone to a lecture with a friend from school. When we came out, someone grabbed us and I felt something stick me in the back. When I woke up, we were on the floor in a strange room."

"Did you see your captors?"

"No. We spoke to one of them and tried to befriend him. Sarah thought that we were grabbed because her father had made a lot of enemies in Egypt and he was super rich. I told her that my dad worked with the police and that they would find us."

"How long were you there?"

"I don't know. I managed to get the door unlocked with a bobby pin and I found a cell phone. 9-1-1 didn't work, so I dialed my dad's number. I only got to talk to him for a minute before I heard them looking for us. He told me to run, so I did. I ran out on the roof and that's when I saw the Eiffel Tower."

"How did the police find you?"

"The police didn't find me. My dad did. He flew to Paris and risked his life to save me."

"That's what fathers are supposed to do, Alexis. Were you really that surprised?"

"No, not really. When he brought me home, he wouldn't let me out of his sight. I'd wake up at night sometimes and he'd be asleep by my bedside. When I wanted to go to Costa Rica a few months later, he was reluctant to let me go."

"That's understandable. Why did you want to go to Costa Rica?"

"I just wanted to prove to myself that not everybody in the world is evil. If I didn't force myself to leave New York, I never would."

"That's very astute. Do you still dream about Paris since your trip to Costa Rica?"

"Not as much as I did before I went."

"Let's talk about Atlantic City, or do you need a minute?" Dr. Lansing had noticed that Alexis' face had gone very pale.

"I still don't remember anything and that terrifies me," she admitted.

"Why does it scare you?"

"Have you ever seen the movie 'Sybil' with Sally Field?"

"Yes, a long time ago."

"When the doctor was walking Sybil through the darkest of her memories and Sybil was afraid that it would destroy her? That's how I feel when I think about the possibility of remembering what happened that night in Atlantic City. I know that a man was murdered in my hotel room, right by my bed. I _know_ that it happened, but I don't _remember_ that it happened. I want to remember so that I can stop being tormented by it, but at the same time, I don't want to remember. Does that make sense?"

"That makes perfect sense."

"I also feel guilty because Paige was assaulted by them and they didn't do anything to me. I feel like that was on me because I was the one who invited her to come with us."

"Alexis, you weren't the ones who took Paige out of that room. I'm sure that Paige doesn't blame you, so I don't want you blaming yourself. It happened and there's not a damn thing that you can do to change it. The main thing to remember is that you both survived it and you're both probably going to come out on the other side of this stronger because of it. You can talk to other young women about the dangers of club drugs. Do you think that I'll ever remember?"

"It's possible that in time you'll get some of the memories back. But nothing's for certain. From what I understand, you and Paige were given quite a bit of the drug that was used to erase your memory."

"I just worry about getting married and freaking out in the middle of my wedding night or something."

"Alexis, I think you've seen one too many Lifetime movies," the doctor smiled. "If you do start remembering something, you can always call me. I don't care what time it is. I also seem to think that you've got a good support system in place."

"Yeah, I do," Alexis nodded.

"I know that you told me when you first started seeing me that you weren't sleeping well. Is that any better?"

"Most of the time. And on the nights when I can't sleep, I listen to music or fix me some tea."

"One last question and I'll send you out there to your dad. Do you blame anyone for what happened that night?"

"Besides myself? No."

"Alexis, I really feel that we have done as much as we need to do. I will be here if you need me, but the person that I see in front of me is self-confident enough that I don't see that happening. Please believe me when I tell you that what happened to you and Paige wasn't your fault. It was the fault of the man who did this to the two of you."

"Are you sure?"

"Alexis, I am beyond sure. Go out and do great things in the world, okay?"

"Thank you for everything," Alexis stood up and walked over to the doctor.

"You take care of yourself," Dr. Lansing embraced her patient. "Come on, I'll walk you out."

The snow was blowing hard when Alexis and Castle walked out of the office building and toward the subway down the street. "Let's drop by the precinct and pick Kate up," Castle suggested as they walked down the subway stairs. "I'll take both of my girls to dinner."

Ryan looked up from his desk when he heard the elevator, smiling broadly when he saw Castle and Alexis step off. "Hey, it's Castle and Little Castle," he rushed over, hugging Alexis tightly. "How are you?"

"I'm good. I'm really good," Alexis pulled back, returning his smile before finding herself engulfed by Esposito. "Come on, guys! It hasn't been that long since you saw me."

"Mr. Castle!" The four of them looked as one toward the office doorway where they saw Capt. Gates standing there glowering at them, her expression softening somewhat when she spotted Alexis. "Alexis, it's wonderful to see you. Where is Det. Beckett?"

"I think that she stepped away for a few minutes. She should be back soon," Ryan answered.

At that moment, Kate reappeared, her face breaking into a huge smile at the sight of her husband and Alexis. Alexis loved the way that Kate's face would light up the instant that she saw her father. She remembered what her grandmother had told her after their wedding. _"They look at each other like there's no one else in the room. Someday soon, I hope that you have someone who looks at you that same way."_ Watching them, Alexis knew that was so true. She knew that her father had never looked at Gina that way and she was sure that he'd never looked at her mother like that, either.

"Castle, it's freezing outside. What are you two doing here?"

"I took Alexis to her session and we thought that we'd come by here to pick you up. I told Alexis that I'd like to take my girls out to dinner."

"I'd love it. Just give me a few minutes and I'll clock out."

Kate and Alexis decided that they wanted burgers, so the three of them went to Remy's, where they shared stories of their day over cheeseburgers and shakes. "How can you drink that when it's snowing outside?" Castle teased Kate, a tease that turned to desire when he watched her take a sip of her strawberry shake, her eyes closed in ecstasy.

"Castle, I love my shakes. It doesn't matter how cold it is outside."

"Did you arrest anybody today?" Alexis asked, sliding a French fry through ketchup.

"No, today was boring. I spent it catching up on paperwork. Are you done with your therapy sessions?" Kate asked.

"Dr. Lansing told me to go out and do great things in the world. How do you do that when you still aren't sure what you want to do?"

"Alexis, you're going to figure it out. You've got plenty of time to decide what you want to be when you grow up," Kate assured her.

"Kate's right. You've worked with Lanie; you've spent a lot of time talking to Kate's dad about the law. You're going to figure it out."

Sitting there eating dinner, laughing and sharing stories with this new version of her family, Alexis realized that her dad and Kate were right. Like the saying went, the world was her oyster. She could do anything that she wanted to do with her life. Especially since she had such great role models to guide her along the way.

 **A/N #3: Only the epilogue remains and it will contain a significant time jump.**

 **A/N #4: Really looking forward to 'XX,' so that we can see things from Beckett's POV.**

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	18. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMERS: I own nothing that you would recognize.**

 **SUMMARY: Just a short epilogue to tie everything into a neat bow.**

 **A/N #1: First, I want to once again thank Kelly, because without her pushing me, I probably never would've finished this story. I'm sorry that I didn't meet the deadline; but I'm glad that I finished it.**

 **A/N #2: Next up, I will be adding more chapters to 'All the Songs Make Sense.' I will also slowly work on a story for next summer's Ficathon. This will be more in the Ariel/Jack/Hope universe. Please be patient. By working this slowly, I can make sure the story goes where I want it to go. Believe me; I do have an idea of where I want to go.**

 **A/N #3: This epilogue is set shortly before 8x01 after Alexis has cut her hair but before Kate's disappearance.**

 **FINDING A PURPOSE**

 **EPILOGUE**

Alexis was sitting in coffee shop waiting for Paige. She hadn't seen her close friend since the spring semester had ended. So much had happened since the attack the previous November. Paige had continued seeing Dr. Lansing long after Alexis had stopped seeing her. It took a few months, but gradually Alexis begin to see glimpses of the old Paige emerging from her shell.

The fall semester was going to be starting soon and Alexis felt much better about the direction which she wanted her life to go. At the moment, she was overseeing the renovation of her father's P.I. office. While doing that, she'd acquired a few cases of her own. Closing the cases had given her a rush and had significantly boosted her self confidence. She couldn't wait until her dad saw his office. She knew that he was going to love it. She only hoped that he'd also love her closing cases for him.

She smiled and waved when Paige walked into the coffee shop. "Alexis, your hair!" Paige exclaimed when she walked over and hugged her best friend. "It looks great! It makes you look so grown up!"

"Thank you," Alexis smiled as Paige slid into the booth across from her and the waitress handed her a menu. "Kate took me to her stylist."

"So, your dad and Kate are okay?"

"Oh, they're great. Kate got promoted to captain. My dad took her to Bora-Bora for a week to celebrate. And my gram is getting fabulous reviews in her new Broadway show."

"We went to see it. She was wonderful. Is it strange not having her living at the loft?"

"It was, at first. But her new place is great and she really loves having a place of her own again. How is Brandon?"

"We broke up. He helped me through the really rough stuff, but eventually we both admitted that we're better off as friends. I still talk to him, and we go out to dinner once in a while. I just back from Europe with my mom," Paige made a face.

"How was that?"

"Surprisingly, not as awful as I thought it would be," Paige laughed. "Her and my dad worked really hard with Dr. Lansing. I didn't think she'd stick it out, but she did and she even heeded some of the doctor's advice. I learned a lot about her and she learned a lot about me."

"Where did you go?"

"Florence. It turns out that we both always wanted to see the Uffizi. Then we went to Rome and Venice. It was magical. Have you ever been?"

"No. I've been to London and Paris, but that's it. My gram said that my dad went to Italy when he was in school, but she says those are stories that I don't need to hear," both women laughed. "What are you doing now?"

"I've been working with Claire at the brokerage firm where she works. We're trying to work on our relationship, too. Are you seeing anybody?" Paige changed the subject.

"No. Right now, I'm helping renovate my dad's P.I. office. It looks really cool. I can't wait for him to see it."

"I just can't get over your hair. Did you cry when you cut it?"

"No, but my dad did," Alexis laughed.

"I can understand why. You've had your hair long for as long as I can remember."

"Since I was in first grade."

"Alexis, I really hate to cut this short, but I'm meeting my dad and brother uptown later. We're going to the Natural History Museum. My brother loves the dinosaurs."

"It was great to see you, Paige. I'll see you in class in a few weeks," Alexis stood up and embraced Paige.

Watching her walk away, Alexis was glad that both of them were in a much better place than they'd been in back in November. She hoped that now they could both move on and do great things in the world, just as Dr. Lansing had suggested to her after her last session.

 **A/N #5: And there you have it. Thank you so much for the reviews, the follows, and for adding me to your favorites list. Every review in my inbox brightens my day, even the critiques. I'm glad that you guys pay attention when I sometimes fail to.**

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